The Game of Life and Death
by Raerin-chan
Summary: The Leaf ninja persue the Akatsuki to a remote uninhabitted island thinking they are after another Bijuu. You don't need to have seen Umineko to enjoy this! KibaxHinata DeidaraxTenten PeinxKonan possibly more...anyway, please review!
1. The Game Begins

**I do not own either Naruto or Umineko no naku koro ni!**

**Please don't kill me if the characters seem a little OOC, I've had to tweak them in order that they fit in with the story…**

**Anyway, please enjoy and review!**

The light poured in through the tall window, a harsh light that was devoid of warmth or comfort. It felt almost sterile, especially when one took into account the white colouring of the walls that made up the small room, and the checkerboard patterned flooring. It was sparsely furnished, although the few fittings were certainly elaborate. Several high-backed chairs sat in the room, elegantly carved with padded arms and seats, and a small table with a spotless glass surface. There was the small noise of china as a teacup was set upon its matching saucer, its owner careful not to spill any tea on the clean glass surface beneath. Lady Bernkastel's gaze shifted from her teacup to observe the scene unfolding in front of her. A look of mild amusement played around her features, which was one of the few emotions she ever showed. Her lifeless violet eyes appeared however, as cold as they always were.

A tall woman sat opposite her, deep in a heated discussion with another girl, who sat on Bernkastel's other side. The former was dressed in an elaborate gown, almost Victorian or Tudor in style, black and deep crimson, decorated with golden designs and a white frill that followed the shape of the low neckline. Her hair was held up in a complicated bun made up of a twisted plait, curly bangs framing her perfectly sculptured features. However, at this moment, Beatrice's face was twisted with a mixture of defiance and arrogance as she conversed with the girl beside Bernkastel.

"I still don't think you can do it, Beato." Said she, watching Beatrice's expression with glee, resting her chin on the back of her hand. This girl was dressed more or less completely in pink, almost sickeningly so. The lolita-style dress was adorned with numerous decorations; red bows, the odd ivy leaf, and even a small pumpkin with an evil grin adorned the pink skirt. Her arms were covered with long black gloves that went up past her elbows. Her bright red eyes sparkled with the joy of tormenting her rival.

"Lambdadelta, do not underestimate me…no mortal can triumph against me." Beatrice allowed herself a wide, sickening smile that made her eyes look, if anything, a bit insane.

"Or are you afraid that if I prove it to you, you will have to accept that I am better than you?" She said, leaning close to Lambdadelta and fixing her with her intense blue eyes.

"Then shall we call it a game?" Countered the girl in pink, mirroring the unhinged smile, her own red eyes easily as unnerving as her rival's. Bernkastel picked up her teacup and concentrated on it instead, bored with the bickering of her companions. Beatrice held out her hand, and Lambdadelta took it. They both shook hands, eyes locked.

"So," Said Lambdadelta, leaning back into her chair, taking a cookie from a plate on the table, "where shall we play this time?"

Shikamaru yawned, bleary eyed as he sat up, absent-mindedly scratching the back of his head. He rubbed his face and gave a sleepy grunt as he stood up.

"Shikamaru," Called his mother, ten minutes later impatiently from their small kitchen, "Get a move on! Lady Hokage has summoned you, and do you know what she's like when you…."

"Yeah, yeah….I know….." Muttered Shikamaru as he stomped down the wooden stairs, intentionally making them creak at each step to annoy his father who was at that moment reading the Konoha newspaper at the table. With a sleepy "g'mornin'" to his father, he took a couple of slices of toast and stepped out the front door. Monday mornings were such a drag, especially with Lady Fifth calling for him at the crack of dawn, as if he didn't have enough to do….well….scratch that, he had nothing to do, but that wasn't the point. As he walked, he checked he carried his usual supplies of kunai, shuriken and other tools, as he had forgotten to check when he was at home. After a quarter of an hour of exceedingly lazy walking, he finally reached the door to the Hokage's office. He pushed it open with a creak, and was immediately surprised by what he saw. Crammed into the small and sparsely furnished office, were no fewer than nine people…oh, and a dog the size of a large bear too.

At that moment, all of the inhabitants of the room turned and looked at him, apart from one. After a minute, Lady Tsunade, the leaf Hokage, looked up from the papers on her desk to look at him with a gaze so stern it could have belonged to his mother.

"You are late." She informed him, pushing a pile of documents to the side, which her second in command, Shizune, quickly gathered up into a neat pile and filed away, looking severely overworked.

"I apologize." Shikamaru said dully, wistfully thinking that he could be sleeping right now. He looked around, mentally counting who was here, and trying to work out for what purpose. He could see all of the members of team Guy, excluding Might Guy himself, there was Tenten, Neji and Lee. Also, he noticed that Hinata and Kiba were there as well. Of course, that explained why Akumaru the colossal dog was in here, making the place stink. Lastly, he could see Kakashi-sensei here, looking impassive as usual, a book in one hand – also as usual.

"Well, never mind that now." Tsunade said. Shikamaru was surprised, for Lady Fifth not to yell at him for being late, something important must have happened.

"I doubt you are aware as it has been kept top secret, but recently we have gained intelligence that the Akatsuki organization are on the move."

Shikamaru stiffened. He had heard of them before alright. However, he still didn't understand why they were all here. Surely a full-scale hunt would be unwise at this point, seeing as the village was at its weakest right now.

"However, we have also gained the information that they are heading to a remote island south of the Hidden-leaf Village."

Shikamaru could see where this was going, his strategist's mind already analysing the information.

"And as they are all moving together as a group, which is pretty unheard of, we can assume that they are after something right?" He asked, testing his hypothesis.

"Exactly," Lady Tsunade replied, nodding. "Our scouts report that a lot of local legend surrounds this island, of which the name we don't know at this moment. Some people say that the island is haunted by a ghost, others that it contains a treasure beyond any that mankind has ever seen, and still others report that a massive concentration of chakra is sealed there, perhaps even a bijuu."

"And I guess they are after the latter than?" Shikamaru asked. He could see why a myth of a bijuu would definitely attract the Akatsuki organisation, after all, they were their prime objective.

"However," Continued the Hokage, "That does not explain why the whole Akatsuki are moving, together, at once. We can only guess that this island is particularly dangerous for unknown reasons, or that they actually believe this legend of a so called 'ghost'." Kiba laughed. Tsunade fixed him with a murderous look until he apologized, looking sheepish.

"Therefore, we cannot allow the organization to get their hands on such a possibly dangerous weapon. That is where you come in. If this place is so dangerous that the whole Akatsuki have to go for it, then I need a large cell of capable ninja to shadow them and get to this power first. It is imperative they do not get their hands on it. That is your mission. Understood?"

A chorus of "Yes Ma'am!" Rang through the cramped room.

"Good. Then you are dismissed." She said. The room was soon empty. Ten minutes later, the cell had left the village well behind. Shikamaru yawned once more before focussing on the task at hand, and staying in their devised formation. This was going to be a fun filled weak…he thought sarcastically to himself as the village disappeared from view, and they were truly on their way.


	2. A New Piece

**Again, I don't own Naruto or Umineko. Oh, and if your favourite character gets killed, don't panic or throw things at me-all is not what it seems.**

The sound of creaking floorboards broke the silence in the small room. Deidara opened one eye, wanting to believe it was just a dream and that he didn't really have to get up yet. As usual, he was wrong. He sighed, and up, rubbing his eyes with his fists (as using his palms was a severe mistake). He blinked as bright sunlight from the large arched window opposite his bed momentarily blinded him.

"Why did you wake me, un?" He growled, standing up and stretching. His long blonde hair covered most of his face, was very messed up and stuck out everywhere (doesn't read right). Across the room, stood a red-haired boy who looked as if he was in his late teens. Sasori regarded at Deidara irritably. He had just returned from a meeting with Pein, and was not in one of his better moods.

"Haven't you noticed anything strange since we arrived, brat?" He said scornfully, a look of impatience in his hazel eyes. Deidara looked back at him, his own blue eyes temporarily perplexed.

"Not as such…unless you count us finding this place, that was kind of strange." He yawned again, and crossed the room to the window, looking out at the view. From the window he could see the sea stretching out limitlessly, only about a few hundred metres away. The truth of the matter was, the whole group had been surprised to find this place, although only a few had shown it. Tobi had voiced his surprised so animatedly that leader had had to shout at him to make him calm down. Itachi had stared on with is usual emotional void, Kisame had simply taken it in his stride, along with Zetsu. However, not much could surprise you when you were either half shark, or a cannibal plant man, Deidara supposed. Pein and Konan hadn't said anything, and Kakuzu had hit Hidan hard when he expresses his surprise with another swearing fit.

What had surprised them all so was that on arrival at the island, they had discovered an extremely unnerving sight. All of their sources had confirmed that this island was positively uninhabited, and yet, from where they had stood on the beach, after crossing the sea by foot using their chakra, was a huge, yet abandoned and overgrown garden, stretching up from the top of the cliffs. As they had walked through the garden, Tobi commenting on how spooky it all was, they also noticed a house. It was no ordinary how, but a vast mansion, immensely grand, with carvings on most of the walls. However, it had appeared abandoned, as the figures were all crumbling now, as the result of years of weathering. The rose garden directly outside the great house was overgrown, the roses mostly strangled by bracken and bindweed.

On further exploration of the old building, they had found nothing out of the ordinary, although Tobi had tried to jump out from behind walls and scare Deidara at various points. Hidan had complained frequently that Kakuzu kept taking random old-looking artefacts and ornaments from their places, but Pein had replied that it really didn't matter what Kakuzu took or sold since the place appeared to be deserted anyway.

And, as a result, Pein had decided that they should as well stay at the abandoned house, seeing as it would be better than setting up a camp.

Sasori, being a human-puppet and therefore not requiring sleep, had spent the night exploring in more detail, after having been commissioned by Pein to try and find any leads that might show them where to find the Bijuu or power source that was reputedly around somewhere.

"Brat," Sasori's voice brought Deidara quickly out of his sleepy flashbacks, "Leader-sama wants to speak to all of us in ten minutes, in the main dining room downstairs. It's important." Suddenly, a dark look flickered over Sasori's profile, and Deidara wondered whether something had happened.

"OK, Danna." Deidara sighed, drawing his gaze away from the view of the sea and back to his partner. "I'm coming, un."

Eight hours earlier, a severely flustered Hinata was trying to get Kiba's attention. They were trying to put up a couple of tents, as the sky was dark, and the dense cloud cover foretold ample amounts of incoming rain.

"Kiba!" Called Hinata over the arguing going on in the background. He looked around at her. So did Akumaru, was currently lying down, his head between his paws; bored.

"What is it?" He replied, worried something was wrong.

"I-its nothing….except….could you give me a hand over here? I can't hold the tent up and put it together at the same time…" She stammered, taken aback by his suddenly anxious tone. His face relaxed as he came over to her.

"Here, I'll hold it up for you." He said.

Meanwhile, Shikamaru was conversing with Neji, Kakashi and Tenten on plans and strategies upon arrival at the island. They agreed that the Akatsuki with their advanced skills would soon detect their presence on such a small area of land, so should focus their energy on keeping themselves hidden if they wanted a chance of finding out what the organisation was up to. Lee was busy standing watch, although how effective he was proving was debatable. He looked nearly as shattered and drained as the rest of them.

Suddenly, Kiba stood bolt upright, and so did Akumaru. Hinata sighed as the he let go of the tent and it collapsed again.

"Kakashi!" He called, but Kakashi was already at his side.

"You smell someone? An enemy?" He asked quietly.

"I'm not sure…I feel that it's familiar somehow…but I can't be sure."

"If there was someone following us I'm sure myself or Hinata would have seen something." Said Neji, striding over to them.

"But even you have a blind spot, right?" Said Lee, which earned him a scowl from Neji and a slight giggle from Tenten.

Suddenly, there was a cry and a small 'thud' to the left of the makeshift camp in the woods. Hinata suddenly ran forwards.

"Wait, I know that voice!" She cried, and before anyone could do or say a word, she had vanished off into the woods in the direction that the noise had come from. Kiba quickly ran after her, closely followed by Neji. She arrived at the scene to see Hinata staring at a small girl whose red and flustered face was full of defiance.

"Hanabi! What are you doing here?" Hinata was anxiously asking the child, bending over to check her sister for injuries of any kind.

"Did you follow us all this way? It's dangerous to come out on your own, you didn't tell father where you were going did you? What would he do if you got hurt?" Babbled Hinata, getting more flustered and nervous by the minute.

"Shut up, sis…." Hanabi tried to but in to no avail. "Father always said I was stronger than you anyway, and since you get to go out on missions I don't see why I should be left out!" This shut Hinata up, and the older sister went pink.

"Hanabi." Said Neji sternly, taking control of the situation, as Kakashi was looking confused and Shikamaru bored, "You are only nine years old. You may be superior in ability but you are not yet mature enough to handle missions…one of that should escort you back to the village before you do yourself any harm. Where we are going is too dangerous for a young child." Neji sighed. No wonder neither he or Hinata had sensed her presence, they were so used to having her around the Hyuga household all of the time.

"That would render our strategy useless." Shikamaru butted in. "We need all of us present in order for it to succeed."

"But we can't take her with us!" Cried Hinata. Everyone looked taken aback by the outburst from a girl who was normally so quiet and shy.

"At this moment, I'm afraid its all we can do," Kakashi said, but before Hinata could protest he added, "She will be under our strict supervision and her safety will be of the utmost importance. Once we arrive we can send for a member of the village to come and retrieve her, but we have to keep going if our mission is to succeed."

Hinata sighed, and looked back at her sister, who looked so terribly little and fragile.

"Alright…." She said quietly.

Later that night, in the girl's tent, Hinata sat up in one corner, her mind working fast. Beside her, Tenten and Hanabi were sleeping silently, a sever contrast to Akumaru's snores from outside. She sighed and lay back, knowing that it was in her best interest to get some sleep now. She had to admit she was very afraid for her sister….what sort of dangers might they meet when finally arrived on the island?


	3. A Complication

**Once more, I don't own Naruto or Umineko...although I do seem to own a sad amount of free time .'**

The wind had started to pick up by the time the group were approaching the island, the grey sea shifting restlessly under their feet. It had been a day since her arrival and Hanabi kept having problems with her chakra control. Every once in a while they would all hear a shriek and a splash as she fell through the surface of the water. In the end, to maintain their cover of stealth, Lee had taken to carrying her, much to Hanabi's disgust. Luckily, the water was not yet too restless, so the rest of the party did not have any trouble.

Kiba, Akumaru and Neji were out in front of the others, since they were sensory-type shinobi, and would detect danger should the threat arise, and give them all an early warning to be prepared for an attack. Shikamaru's strategy dictated that Kakashi was next in line, followed by Hinata, then Lee and Shikamaru, and finally Tenten, guarding the back of the squad. Tenten could see nothing around them for miles, apart from the dark, imposing shape of the island jutting out of the sea about half a mile away.

She sighed, twirling the kunai she had been holding for the past half hour around her fingers. It seemed quiet enough, apart from the way the sea rose and fell. She looked up at the sky and winced. There was going to be a storm tonight. The sea began to mirror her predictions, as it gradually became more restless as time passed by. One of the most unnerving things was the total absence of seabirds that should have been present, circling around them and the approaching island.

"We're going to need to make finding shelter our top priority as soon as we arrive." Shikamaru informed them. Kakashi nodded and returned his gaze to their destination.

"We'll be entering via that small sandy beach over there, on the north side – see, it's just coming into view. From there, focus your energy on remaining hidden. We cannot let the enemy find us before we can devise a strategy, this incoming storm will muck it up a bit." He sighed. What a pain in the neck.

After a further ten minutes, the group stepped from the foamy residue of the incoming waves onto solid land. The beach was indeed small, and sheltered, an ideal place to remain hidden. Hanabi stepped down to the ground with sigh of relief. Travel be Lee had not agreed with her. The whole party stood still for a while, regaining any chakra they had used whilst making their crossing. Tenten sighed, sitting down on the soft sand for a minute. Funny...she didn't feel any less tired at all...

Suddenly, she leapt to her feet with a cry as something stepped out from behind a large rock to her left

"Neji!" She called, eyes fixed on the strange person. Within a moment, the whole group stood together, weapons in hand, Hanabi in the middle, protected. The newcomer was tall, and their head was framed by two enormous structures shaped like the mandibles of a stag beetle. He was wearing a long black cloak emblazoned with crimson clouds...

"Akatsuki!" Exclaimed Shikamaru, cursing as more people began to appear. From the dense trees further from the beach, and the jagged rocks that dotted the area all around them. There no less than ten of them

"Damn, they knew we were coming all along!" Kakashi growled.

Tenten reached into the pockets of her shirt and withdrew two hands full of shuriken, ready to throw at the command. The group formed into a tighter circle as the Akatsuki members advanced. None of them showed much emotion, although three of them, one with long blonde hair, the one who resembled a shark, and the one with slicked back pale hair, were grinning.

"You can lower your weapons." Said a deep voice from the back of the enemy's ranks. A tall figure stepped forward, and from the way that the others parted to allow him through, he was evidently of some importance. He too wore the long black cloak, but his face was alarming. His eyes, unlike the usual, had a tiny pupil in the centre, with darker grey rings like ripples framing it. The line of his nose was bordered with black piercings, so was his chin, and his ears were full of them. Beside him stood the only woman in the Akatsuki. She was tall too, although not as tall as he, with deep blue hair and an ornamental origami white rose on the left side. Her face was stern, with one chin piercing.

"What makes you think we'll do that?" Kakashi replied, his voice angry but calm and controlled.

"Because we will not attack, or to be more precise, we cannot attack you. You'll find that you can't either." He said, his tone of voice without feeling. He and Kakashi stared each other down. After a moment, the Akatsuki leader closed his peculiar eyes.

"I see that you don't believe me." He said.

"Hey, hey Leader! Why can't we just kill them and get on with our damn job, eh?" Complained the one with the slicked back hair. He looked decidedly grumpy.

The Konoha nin tensed, and prepared for the worst. The leader turned, looked at the one who had spoken, and then back at Kakashi.

"Hidan, since neither you, nor the others of you know why I have summoned you here aside from Sasori and Konan, I suggest that you be quiet and watch." Said the Leader.

"I am Pein. I am the Leader of the Akatsuki organisation. Under usual circumstances, we would have annihilated you as soon as you set foot on this island...however..." He then turned and looked at the one with the long blonde hair behind him.

"Deidara," He commanded, "Give me one of your clay bombs."

The one called Deidara looked surprised by this, but smiled at the opportunity to show off his art. Sasori rolled his eyes. With a 'squelch' his palm spat out an exquisite clay model, in the shape of a spider. He handed into Pein.

"Now detonate it." Pein ordered.

Deidara looked even more astonished. "But, leader, you're still holding it, you'll be blown up..."

"Just do it."

Deidara shrugged, and grinned as he formed the necessary hand sign. The Konoha nin took a step back, but their way was barred my Kisame and Itachi. He raised his hand to his face and took a deep breath.

"KATSU!" He yelled, and suddenly...nothing happened. The clay figurine in Pein's hands did nothing; in fact, several of its legs had dropped off.

"What?"

My art never fails!" Deidara protested a look of panic in his cerulean eyes. The others also looked taken aback by this. Pein looked at Sasori.

"As you can see," Said the redhead, "Deidara has no longer the ability to use his chakra. In fact, none of us do. We found out last night when I was trying to test a new puppet, and I could no longer form the necessary chakra strings. You will also find that you too can no longer use chakra either. We are unsure of whether it is due to this place, or something else."

Whilst he was saying this, Deidara was staring in disbelief at his palms, his face awash with despair at loosing his art. Hidan swore, and Kakuzu smirked at him from beneath his mask.

"Hidan, I suggest you stop the rituals for a while, I doubt you are immortal anymore." Pein said to him. Hidan looked murderous.

The Konoha nin looked at each other and relaxed a little bit. Shikamaru looked at his shadow, but was unable to make it move. Hinata and Neji both tried to activate their Byakugan, to no avail. Tenten produced a scroll, and attempted to summon a wind-mill shuriken. Again, nothing happened.

"It appears you are telling the truth," Kakashi said, calmly. "What do you propose we do?"

Pein looked at him emotionlessly.

"I propose this. I will instruct my organisation not to attack you and your comrades. I suggest that until we find out how to reverse what has been done, you come with us and form a temporary cooperation. You realise that without our chakra we cannot leave this island, and a storm appears to be fast approaching. As well as this, we have found shelter and accommodation, even food supplies further into the island. We can guarantee your safety...for now."

Kakashi sighed, and looked around at Shikamaru, who gave a grudging nod.

"It appears we have no choice. For now, we will cooperate with you until our chakra has returned. However, if you try and kill us, we will strike back without mercy."

He looked up at the dark and moody sky.

"Take us to this shelter."


	4. The Epitaph

**Chapter four here ~ and as always, I do not own either Naruto or Umineko! The epitaph in italics is from the original Umineko. Please review!**

Tenten looked up at the imposing form of the great house with increasing anxiety. The wind was even stronger now, and as the party silent walked through the overgrown rose garden, she felt a growing sense of foreboding. Hanabi was sticking close to Lee, who seemed to get on best with the little girl. The Akatsuki walked ahead of them, Deidara's face empty and hollow. Evidently the loss of his art had hit him hard.

A light rain began to fall from the moody sky above them, soaking them all to the bone within minutes. Once they were safely inside the mansion, Pein approached them.

"We found enough sets of rooms upstairs for all of you." He said, eyes not revealing anything.

"Thanks," Kakashi replied, but his tone was icy, "But we'll be checking this place out for any hidden traps you people may have set first."

Pein nodded and folded his arms.

"As you wish." She said before he and the rest of the Akatsuki left the main hall of the mansion and headed down one of the corridors, towards the drawing room. Tenten watched them leave, still on edge, before her gaze was drawn to something rather more interesting. She turned around and walked over to the other side of the room. On the wall hung a large painting, a huge painting, of a woman. She was beautiful, with a look in her eye of slight arrogance. She was wearing a long exquisitely detailed dress, black and red decorated with designs in gold. The neckline of the dress was edged with a white frill, the woman's hair neatly piled into an elaborate bun.

By now, the others had noticed this too, and had also walked over to take a look. In front of the grand painting, stood a raised marble slab, and on the slab, was carved some sort of poem. Neji bent over to examine it.

"_My beloved hometown, the sweetfish river running through it.  
You who seek the Golden Land, follow its path downstream and seek the key._

_If you follow the river downstream, you will find a village.  
In the village, look for the shore the two will tell you of.  
There sleeps the key to the Golden Land._

_He who lays hand upon the key shall travel under the rules below._

_At the first twilight, you shall lift up as sacrifice the six chosen by the key.  
At the second twilight, the surviving shall tear apart the two who are close.  
At the third twilight, the surviving shall praise my honorable name on high.  
At the fourth twilight, gouge the head and kill.  
At the fifth twilight, gouge the chest and kill.  
At the sixth twilight, gouge the stomach and kill.  
At the seventh twilight, gouge the knee and kill.  
At the eighth twilight, gouge the leg and kill.  
At the ninth twilight, the Witch shall be revived and none shall be left alive.  
At the tenth twilight, the journey shall end and you should reach the village of gold._

_The Witch will praise the wise, and should bestow four treasures.  
One shall be, all the gold from the Golden Land.  
One shall be, the resurrection of the souls of all the dead.  
One shall be, even the resurrection of the lost love.  
One shall be, to put the Witch to sleep for all time."_

Lee stood up, scratching the back of his head, his face creased up in thought.

"Well that certainly seems a bit gruesome." Kakashi observed, rereading the lines to himself. He too appeared to be thinking hard.

"I think that the bit about the 'Golden Land' sounds exciting!" Piped up Hanabi from behind Hinata. She had been silent up until now, and her sudden exclamation made everybody jump with surprise.

Neji looked at her seriously.

"Hanabi, this probably just some old inscription that the previous owner of this household left before passing away. I'm sure none of this actually exists, and if it did, we already have our mission to complete, we can't go chasing after fairytales. I suppose you're too young to understand." Neji said, his tone a tiny bit patronising.

This was a big mistake. Hanabi's face went red, and her eyes welled up full of tears. She walked back a couple of paces.

"Neji, you always treat me like a some kind of baby! Why does everyone think that I've got the maturity of a little child?" She yelled, her small hands balled into fists.

"But, Hanabi…" Lee said softly, "You are a little child."

If he thought this was going to help, it did exactly the opposite. Hanabi burst into tears, span on her heal, and ran through the hall, down the crumbling stone steps that led up to the great house, and out into the dilapidated rose garden, crying. They could hear the sound of her footsteps as they splashed in the various puddles that had filled the potholes in the garden path. However, soon, she must have ran too far, as all they could hear was the rain hitting the porch roof with increasing ferocity.

"Hanabi!" Cried Hinata, but it was too late.

Kakashi quickly took control of the situation.

"Hinata, take Kiba and go and find Hanabi. Neji and Tenten, I want you to stay here and watch for their return. Lee and Shikamaru, you two come with me. We're going to meat with our 'allies' to discuss what to do about our situation. On no account go anywhere on your own. We can't trust the Akatsuki to stick to their word. You understand? Good, then go."

Hinata didn't need telling twice, she quickly departed the building, closely followed by Kiba and Akumara. Hinata's eyes were full of panic. Her sister was very important to her after all. She ran through the columns of untended flower beds, of which the rain was quickly turning into a muddy soup, in and out of the columns of roses. She was soaked to the skin and the wind was even stronger, but she didn't care. She couldn't let her sister get hurt.

"Hanabi! Hanabi where are you?" Kiba called. Akumaru barked and then whined.

Once or twice, Hinata could have sworn she had seen a flash of gold, but on closer inspection found that there was nothing after all. The rain was making her long black hair stick to her face, and over her pale eyes. Her clothes were sticking to her too, completely soaked. She called out several times for her sister, but no answer came.

Suddenly, she spotted something a little way off into the garden. Hinata ran towards it. It appeared to be the top of a white umbrella, the edges trimmed with white lace. Whoever was holding the umbrella turned towards them, and lifted it slightly so they could see who it was.

"Hanabi!" Cried Hinata.

She leapt forward, dropping to her knees and embraced her sister. She then withdrew and looked into her eyes, concerned, her hands on Hanabi's shoulders. The younger girl was soaked to the skin and shivering. Hinata could see the tear tracks down her cheaks, but Hanabi was not crying at that moment, in fact the child looked slightly dazed.

"Hanabi, are you alright? What happened? I'm sorry we were so horrid to you…" Hinata said through chattering teeth.

"Don't worry Hinata, I'm alright now…" Hanabi said, and to Hinata and Kiba's surprise, she smiled.

Hinata took her sisters hand as they began to walk back up to the mansion.

"There's something I don't get," Said Kiba thoughtfully, "Hanabi, where did you find that umbrella?"

Hanabi smiled wider.

"Beatrice gave it to me! She's so golden and beauiful, she came over to me, and made it appear in the air in front of us, and then left!" Hanabi said excitedly.

"Don't be silly, Beatrice was only that name in that inscription under that painting, she doesn't exist." Kiba explained, smiling at the younger girl's imagination.

"Beatrice does exist!" Hanabi insisted, her voice rising, her face turning red again.

Hinata looked imploringly at Kiba, and turned back to Hanabi as they walked.

"Don't worry, Hanabi, I believe you! And so does Kiba here." She said softly.

Hanabi smiled at her sister's reasurance. As they walked, they met Tenten and Neji in the hallway with Beatrice's painting, and explained what had happened. Neji looked ready to explain to Hanabi that witches did not exist, but with a desperate look from his cousin, decided not to bother. Tenten just remained quiet. Within a couple of minutes, the group of five had entered the drawing room, in which the Akatsuki and the rest of the Konoha nin were discussing what action to take. They fell silent as they watched the newcomers sit down in the various dusty sofas and armchairs in the room.

"As you can see, the most logical plan would be to follow our information to find the Bijuu that we had been setting out to find in the first place – perhaps that is where the key to our predicament lies." Explained Pein, his imperious voice filling the elaborate room.

"However," Kakashi added, "I'm still unconvinced that we can trust you, therefore we will be sticking to your side until we have solved what is going on here. As you know, we have skilled users of taijutsu among us, who do not need chakra to fight."

Lee looked suddenly extremely proud of himself.

"And yet," Replied Kakuzu, "I doubt that one or two taijutsu skilled shinobi could take out ten of us, where most of us also possess taijutsu abilities. Besides, any complez techniques such as the Lotus require the use of chakra anyway, do they not?"

A small but confident voice suddenly cut through the discussion.

"Excuse me, but I need to tell you all something!" Hanabi said, looking ridiculously tiny compared with the adults around her. From the pocket in her jacket, she took out an envelope, emblaned with a golden butterfly design. She unfolded the envelope, and removed a letter.

"Hanabi, where did you get that?" Kakashi asked.

"I was given this earlier, in the rose garden. She asked me not to read it until we were all together." She replied.

"And who was this, child?" Pein interupted.

"Beatrice, of course!" Said Hanabi.


	5. The Letter and the Charm

**Wow, chapter five already…the pace should start to pick up some more now!**

**I repeat, neither Naruto nor Umineko belong to me! Parts of the letter are taken from the original first letter that Beatrice gave Maria.**

**I may be doing some fan art to go with this….but I haven't decided whether to or not just yet…**

Everyone in the room stared at Hanabi. A few showed surprise, Hinata, Kiba and most of the Konoha nin, as well as a few of the Akatsuki. Pein looked as serious as ever, and looked at Hanabi as if he was trying to decide what to make of the situation. Hidan laughed, and everybody turned to look at him.

"That's ridiculous." She said patronisingly, "On arrival we checked this whole damn island almost, and we didn't see any sign of other inhabitants. What trick are you leaf ninja trying to pull, eh?"

Hanabi looked about to burst into protest, but Kakashi spoke up.

"We assure you, we have no idea what Hanabi is talking about either…and I must admit that I agree, this place is evidently abandoned."

Pein stayed quiet, evidently deep in thought. Shikamaru's face too was trying to work out what was going on. Neji turned to Hinata and Kiba.

"You two, did you give that to her? To keep her quiet about this made-up witch story?"

Hanabi started to reply, but Kiba cut across her.

"No, Neji. We didn't know she had it either until she pulled it out a few minutes ago in front of us all."

"I told you!" Cried Hanabi, exasperated, "Beatrice gave it to me! She told me to read it to you when we were together!"

Hinata looked up and saw that everyone was about to argue again, so sighed and decided to be assertive for one of the few times in her life. She bent down to Hanabi and said kindly to her;

"Hanabi, why don't you read us what Beatrice has written? Then we'll be able to believe you."

Hanabi smiled at her sister, and narrowed her eyes, focussing on the elaborate and curly handwriting of the letter. Suddenly, her pupils dilated, and her voice became very quiet, as she read.

"Members of the hidden leaf, and the Akatsuki orginistaion,

My name is Beatrice. I am a resident of this island, and served the last ruler of this great estate in which you are staying. This service has continued for many years in accordance with the contract we made, all those years ago. However, my master recently died, and as a result, the contract between us will soon be terminated."

"This is absurd…" Kakuzu began to say, but at a look from Pein, went quiet.

"And thus, as the only visitors unto this island since the death of my master, I must explain a portion of that contact that now applies to you. Since you alone have ventured here since then, what remains of our contract is passed on to you. As part of our deal, I, Beatrice, lent my master a great quantity of gold, under certain conditions. One is that all of the gold must be returned by the time the contract is terminated. Another condition is that I receive everything there is to this place and its current inhabitants as interest." Continued Hanabi, her lips wide in an unnerving smile.

"That can't be right." Neji retorted, but Kakashi silenced him.

"However, my master added a special clause in order to give you a chance to retain your honour, and only in fulfilment of this clause will I relinquish my right to the gold and interest.

Special Clause:

If anyone should discover the gold noted in this contract, Beatrice must abandon all aforementioned rights."

"What does this mean?" Tenten said her face full of curiosity.

"In other words, if anyone here is able to satisfy this special clause, I will return everything, including that which has already been collected. The hiding place for the gold is described in the epitaph under the portrait," Hanabi read, looking more and more excited, "Anyone has the right to discover it. If you can reveal that place in which the gold is hidden, I will return everything. So tonight, please enjoy your battle of wits with my old master. I sincerely pray that this evening well turn out both intellectual and elegant, from the Golden Witch, Beatrice."

Several people stood up in indignation.

"What rubbish is this, un?" Deidara said, his arms crossed, "This is surely just a ploy from you leaf ninja to try and send us on a wild goose chase, hmm?"

Sasori nodded by his side.

"This is inconceivable. This island has been uninhabited according to our sources."

"And yet…there is this place…" Konan said. Everyone looked at her, it was the first time she had spoken. Pein looked around at her.

"Our sources also said that no place such as this existed on this island." She continued, her heavily lidded eyes betraying no compromising emotions.

"However," Kisame butted in, earning him a sharp look from Pein, "It is just as likely that the child wrote this herself, a game."

Kakashi shook his head, eyes closed.

"As much as you don't want to believe us, there's no way a child of Hanabi's age could have written that. The vocabulary was too complex, and the writing here is extremely detailed and neat. I can't believe she did it. Where would she find paper out here anyway?"

Shikamaru looked up from his hunched position, and sighed.

"Well, I have a hypothesis." He said, as all eyes turned to him, "It's my analysis that this 'power source' or possible Bijuu that we have heard about, is not at all what we have been lead to believe. Is not wealth a source of power in this world?"

Kakuzu looked at him, suddenly a look of interest on his partially hidden face.

"I agree…as much as I hate to admit it." He said.

"This great energy or power could actually be this gold that letter speaks of…"

"Don't tell me you actually believe this stupidity?" Kisame said to him, a grin on his face.

Hanabi stayed strangle quiet throughout the conversation, merely observing what was going on around her.

"I think," Pein began, "That for tonight, we ought to return to our rooms and think of a strategy tomorrow. The storm will continue for most of tomorrow as well, so there is no leaving for a while, and even if the sky was clear, we would have to have our chakra in order to cross the water. I suggest that a number of us remain on guard tonight, in case of any…occurrences. I choose Zetsu, Kisame and Itachi to take watch for us."

Kakashi looked steadily at the Akatsuki leader.

"In which case, Lee….Hinata and Kiba will take watch for our side this evening. There is to be no engaging each other, understood?"

"Perfectly." Pein replied.

The two groups of ninja stood up in silence, and filed out of the drawing room. Hinata held tight to her little sister's hand as she led her up the wide staircase. The landing and the stairs were covered in rich, wine red carpet that had faded over the years, and contained worn holes here and there. Hinata shivered. It certainly was the last place we wanted to be cooped up in during a storm. Hinata followed Tenten into their room, shutting the door behind them. Hanabi seemed tired, so Hinata soon tucked her up in one of the single beds in the guest bedroom they were in. The little girl looked calmly at her sister, and then took some small objects out of her pocket, and handed them to Hinata.

"It's for good luck and protection. Daddy gave them to me a long time ago." She said softly.

Hinata smiled obligingly, and handed one to Tenten, putting her own in her pocket.

The beds were small, but surprising comfortable given their age. The duvet and mattress were plain white, but Hinata had had to shake the dust out of them before they were of any use. Tenten soon retired to her own bed as well after a while, with a yawn and a sleepy 'goodnight' to her friend.

Hinata sat next to her sleeping sister for a while, smoothing back some strands of hair that had fallen across her eyes. She looked so fragile and delicate their, that Hinata was scared to leave her. However, reassured by Tenten's presence, she stood up and left the small room, closing the door as quietly as she could, to go and start her watch duty.

The large grandfather clock in the main hallway read ten o'clock, counting down the seconds dutifully, as the wind from the storm moaned like a dying man outside. The huge portrait of Beatrice was illuminated by the lightning every so often.

Hinata saw Kakashi about to enter his room as she walked down the corridor, and paced over to him.

"What is it?" He asked quietly.

"I know it's silly," Hinata said, "But Hanabi gave me this. I'd like to give it to you, since I don't really believe in luck as such."

Hinata handed the small talisman to Kakashi.

"Thank you, Hinata. Be careful, OK?" He said, and closed the door to his room.

Meanwhile, Itachi and Kisame remained in the parlour, looking out of the large arched window at the writhing sea below the cliffs.

"Itachi…you don't believe that child's rambling do you?" Kisame said, eyeing his partner curiously.

Itachi stared out of the window, the silence pressing in on each of them, only occasionally broken by a distance crack of lightening.

"I…" Itachi began, "I don't believe it…neither do I disbelieve it." He said, his toneless voice eerily contrasting with the ticking of the small clock mounted on the wall opposite to them.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Retorted Kisame, his voice prickly.

"Either way…" Itachi continued, ignoring his companion's outburst. "I doubt that I will still be alive tomorrow morning."

Heavy rain was now falling outside, and with each droplet that hit the window, a tapping sound cut the air.

"What?" Kisame said with a grin, "I don't understand, what makes you think such a ridiculous thing?"

"I have my reasons…..besides, I think I've figured out what some of the letter meant." Itachi said, bringing his gaze from the window to look at Kisame, who looked away, unwilling to meet those merciless eyes.

"Yet…that is unimportant now." He said, as he turned and walked out of the room, and up the corridor. Kisame followed behind him quickly.

Hinata paced the length of the dark hallway on the ground floor. In the rooms to her right were the kitchen and dining rooms. To her left lead through another corridor to the main hall. Just then, a noise attracted her attention. It seemed to have come from behind her. She turned, and her eyes widened.

A single, golden butterfly was fluttering towards her…as it flew; it emanated a dim yellow light. It made a strange noise as it moved towards her. One could only describe it as a sort of humming, but like a soft singing voice at the same time…

Hinata moved towards it, perplexed.


	6. First Blood

**Wow, thanks to everyone reading this! Here's chapter six!**

**I don't own Naruto or Umineko, believe it!**

**I should stop using exclamation marks now!**

Kakashi awoke to the sound of frantic knocking on the door to his room. He instantly was on the alert, and stepped out of bed, crossing quickly to the door. He twisted the dull brass door-handle and it swung open, revealing Shikamaru. Kakashi knew at that moment that something was definitely wrong, from the way Shikamaru's face was covering in sweat, and was lit up by an expression of shock. The door swung shut behind him as he exited the room.

"What's wrong?" He asked quickly, his tone on edge.

"Kakashi-sensei, I was just coming to check that you were alright, I still don't trust the Akatsuki to stick to their word after all…"

"Yes, and?" Kakashi replied, looking at Shikamaru with an expression of urgency.

"I saw…well…" Shikamaru couldn't seem to be able to find words for it. He pointed at something behind Kakashi.

Kakashi turned and his eyes narrowed. He took a couple of steps backward into the corridor to look at it properly.

Shikamaru was pointing at the back of the door to Kakashi's room, the side that faced out into the corridor. It was covered from the top to the bottom with handprints. Crimson handprints and slashes in the wood and deep gouged marks that looked like they had been made by scraping fingernails, or claws down the surface. Around the red handprints were more areas of the red substance, spattering the wood randomly.

"It's blood." Shikamaru said quietly. He lifted his hand. From where he had been knocking on the door, his hand was covered in the sticky red material.

"It can't have been here that long…it's still wet." Kakashi observed, trying to stay calm. He didn't know why it vexed him so, and put his insides on edge. He worked with death and blood at a daily basis, so why was this making him want to yell out loud? He guessed the loss of his chakra and abilities made him feel weak and vulnerable, which he was, in a way.

"Go and wake the others, and bring them to the main dining room. Fetch the Akatsuki as well; I expect that this is their doing." Kakashi instructed Shikamaru, who quickly nodded and ran down the corridor to find Tenten, Hanabi, Kiba, Hinata, Lee and Neji. Kakashi walked away in the opposite direction, towards the dining, so that he could do some thinking. Why would the Akatsuki do that? Was it meant to scare him? To drive them away so that the Akatsuki could get on with their objective in peace? Kakashi signed, and absent minded drew out of his pocket, the charm that Hinata had given him last night. He looked at the pattern inscribed upon it and shrugged. Probably not important, he thought. He put it away and proceeded into the dining room.

In about ten minutes, the room was filled with the Akatsuki and the leaf ninja. Kakashi narrowed his eyes as he did a quick headcount.

"Hang on," He said, "Shikamaru, I told you to fetch everyone. Where are Hinata, Kiba and Lee? Plus, I see that some of the Akatsuki are absent as well…"

Shikamaru scratched the back of his head.

"Well, that's just the thing…" He began, and looked at Neji.

"Neither Kiba, Akumaru nor Lee returned to their rooms this morning. In fact, I haven't seen them since yesterday evening." Neji explained his voice deadly serious.

"It's the same for me," Tenten added, "Hinata hasn't appeared yet either."

Hanabi remained quiet, looking up at everyone with an impassive face.

"I trust our 'allies' here know something about it!" Tenten said, here eyes full of loathing as she looked at the Akatsuki.

Pein uncrossed his arms and looked at Kakashi.

"None of us left our rooms last night, apart from Kisame, Itachi and Zetsu who were on watch duty." He made clear, "And so far, we haven't heard from or seen them since last night either."

"That's strange…" Sasori said, and all eyes turned to him. "Its not like Itachi to go gallivanting off to explore…he usually gets straight to the point, don't you agree Deidara?"

Deidara went red and looked like he was about to argue with his partner, until Pein silenced him with a hand.

"Despite the storm, I believe that we ought to split up and try and find them, considering the events of this morning and last night. I have a bad feeling about this…" Kakashi said, looking through the large window to the gardens outside, where the wind and the rain continued to punish the great house.

"I suggest we assign one Leaf ninja to each Akatsuki member. I know there are more of them, so there will be some groups of three. I repeat, anything that goes against our temporary alliance will have consequences. Do you agree?"

"Yes. It is a good plan. If any of my organization harms your comrades, they will be punished, although I take it the same goes for you."

Kakashi nodded.

"Lee, go with the red-haired one, Tenten, you're with Deidara, Neji, I want you to stay close to Hidan and Kakuzu and Shikamaru go with the one in the orange mask. I will accompany Pein and Konan. This way, we will be able to keep tabs on what the other party is doing. Here," Kakashi took out several sets of radio communication units, "Put these on and notify me if they do anything against our interests."

The leaf ninja each took one. Pein spoke up.

"Fine. We meet back here in one hour. If anything happens, notify us and we meet here immediately. Dismissed."

The groups quickly left the dining room, Hanabi following after Tenten, who she had temporarily attached herself to.

Kakashi looked at Pein's emotionless face as they strode up the corridor to start their search in the upper levels of the great old house. Suddenly, Pein put his hand into the pouch that was attached to his belt, and drew out a key.

"We found five of these, in what must have been the servant's quarters, when we arrived here." He said.

"Take one. I have already distributed the others among the more trusted members of my orginistaion, and I feel it would compromise out temporary alliance if I kept them from you."

Kakashi took it and placed it in his pocket, before the three of them continued their search.

Meanwhile, Deidara, Tenten and Hanabi were working their way through the overgrown gardens that decorated the grounds outside the house. Tenten kept a kunai in her hand at all times, incase they either hit some sort of danger, or her 'team member' decided to go against his leader's promise. She would never trust any Akatsuki member. Then again, Deidara wasn't looking particularly happy either. She guessed he was pretty much useless without that exploding clay of his, although he probably still had some basic taijutsu training.

"Hey! What's that building over their?" Hanabi piped up, tugging on Tenten's sleeve to get attention. She was pointing at the tome of a roof that they could see just over the line of shrubs ahead of them.

"I don't know. Deidara?"

"It's an old storehouse. We found it when we first got here. There was nothing of interest inside, un." He replied.

"Even so, we ought to check it out." Tenten said, and began to walk off in that directing, Hanabi hurrying along behind her. Deidara rolled his eyes. No-one ever listened did they? She crossed his arms and waited for her return. A minute passed.

"Deidara! Deidara come quick! You have to see this!" Came a frantic yell in her direction. Deidara was instantly on the alert and ran forward to find the source of her surprise.

At that moment, Kakashi, Konan and Pein were descending the ladder from the attic of the vast house, having found nothing to aid their search in the slightest. Suddenly, Kakashi's com unit began to fizzle and crackle, and he heard Tenten's voice.

"What is it?" He asked quickly, "Have you found anything?"

"You all need to see this…we're at the old storehouse…" Came her voice. It was strangely quiet, and sounded as if she was in shock.

"We'll be right there." Kakashi replied. With a look at Konan and Pein, they ran quickly to round up the others in order that they could all meet Tenten's group.

Ten minutes later, all twelve of them were standing facing the large door to the storehouse, their faces full of mixed feelings. Hanabi was smiling widely; Tenten stared up with a look of shock, like most of the others. However, Kakashi, Neji, Pein and some of the older Akatsuki members looked at the sight with serious expressions.

Painted onto the wide wooden frame was some kind of symbol. It was huge and covered the entire surface, with strange letterings and words decorating the different parts. It was shaped like a huge circle, with a five-pointed star in the middle. What ever the symbol was supposed to mean, it reminded Tenten of the diagrams and symbols she had seen as a child, from a book in the Konoha library about the occult…

"It's painted with blood again." Shikamaru observed, his voice sounded strained.

The group went silent for a minute.

"I suggest we look inside this building, we might find something."

"Leader, its locked. We already tried opening it."

"That's weird…" Hidan said thoughtfully, "We left the damn thing open yesterday."

Pein walked forward, taking out his key to the storehouse. It clicked in the lock. He then took hold of one of the rusted handles on the door, and opened it. Almost everyone recoiled as a stench his them from the closed room.

"Aurgh," Exclaimed Hidan, "What is that sme…"

Suddenly, Tenten let out a scream that tore through the air, making everyone jump. She ran forward towards into the storehouse as Kakashi stepped in to look at what had triggered her sudden outburst…


	7. Rain

**Chapter seven…I warn you now; this won't be a happy chapter!**

**I apologize for any pairings that you don't like…actually, I don't because it's my fanfic so nya!**

**I do not own Umineko or Naruto.**

**Please Review!**

Kakashi's eyes widened as she saw what had made Tenten scream so terribly. She dashed forward and caught her around the middle before she had gone too far, and pulled her back. She was kicking and struggling, fighting tooth and nail to break free of Kakashi's grip. Finally, with a kick that sent Kakashi staggering backwards, she escaped and sprinted back into the storehouse. She collapsed beside something at the back of the building. Her sobs could be heard al around, echoing through dark room, above the sound of the wind and the rain.

"What is it Tenten?" Neji called urgently as he too ran forward to join her.

Tenten was covered in blood, her chest, face, arms and legs were soaked in it. She was clutching something tightly to her chest, something green. It was a body, the body of Rock Lee.

"Tenten…" Consoled Neji, as he gently moved the corpse out of her grip, and held her in a soft embrace, as she shuddered and sobbed against his chest. He knew that Tenten had always regarded Lee as a brother to her. Neji looked at the body, as a single tear ran down his face. It was hideous. Lee's face had been destroyed, and he could hardly bare to look at it. The floor all around them was awash with blood. As he held Tenten close to him, he looked around the room, and gasped. He could see no less than five more corpses, left in various positions around the room. He suddenly spotted a familiar one. His eyes widened.

"Sh-shikamaru – can you come here and stay with her for a minute?" He called. By now, the others were coming into the room, the atrocity of the gruesome scene sinking in. There was blood spattering every surface. All of the corpses' faces were smashed at least partially, so some were only recognisable by the clothes.

"Hanabi, stay here…OK?" Shikamaru said to the little girl as he entered the storehouse. He sank to his knees beside Tenten, and held her hand. She was shivering uncontrollably. Neji stood up and crossed the room, bending over another body. Tears were falling from his eyes faster now, as he looked at her ruined face. It was Hinata. Half of her features were intact; he could see one eye, widened in shock, tears still wet against her bloodstained cheeks. Kakashi entered the room last, and spotted a larger mound that the rest of the bodies. It was Akumaru, lying limply beside Kiba.

The Akatsuki regarded the bodies with mixed emotions. Among the corpses were Itachi, Kisame and Zetsu. Hidan, for once was silent. Konan and Pein made no comment either. No-one could tell what Tobi felt through that mask. Sasori was examining the bodies closely, and Deidara simply stared at them, dumbstruck. Sasori lifted Itachi's body over his shoulder, straightened up, and began to walk away.

"What are you doing?" Asked Deidara, finding words at last.

"I'm taking the body. Itachi will make for a decent puppet."

Tenten suddenly got to her feat. Covered in blood and shaking, she glowered at Sasori, who stared back.

"Is that how you care for a fallen comrade?" She said, her voice angry and trembling.

"I wouldn't bother…" Deidara said, "Sasori wouldn't understand. Besides, Itachi wouldn't have minded."

Tenten went quiet, and looked down at the ground.

"I'm sorry…" Deidara said. Sasori looked incredulously at him. It must have been more of a shock than he had first thought.

Pein closed his eyes.

"_At the first twilight, you shall lift up as sacrifice the six chosen by the key." _He repeated, as all eyes turned to him.

"Are you saying that what happened here was in consiquence of that strange epitaph under the portrate of that woman in the hall?" Kakashi asked.

"It could be." Pein said. Konan looked up at him, her face betraying nothing.

"We should leave the bodies here…apart from Itachi." She said, looking back at the remaining corpses, and then at Sasori.

"We can't!" Tenten shouted, her face red and full of defiance.

"I'm sorry Tenten…" Neji said, his voice hollow, "But it seems the most logical thing to do. We need to get back to the safety of the house before anything else happens. Lee would want you to be safe."

Tenten nodded slowly, fresh tears welling up in her eyes. She looked around at the carnage in the storehouse one more time, before walking slowly away, out of the building and away to the gardens, alone. Her heart felt so empty…as if part of her had died with Lee. She knew it had. Lee had always symbolised the laughter in team Guy, so much so that the possibility of him dying had seemed like an alien concept. Fresh tears rolled down her pale cheeks, but she remained silent as she walked.

"Neji…" Kakashi said his eyes heavy with sadness. "Take Hanabi back to the house. She shouldn't see this. Shikamaru…help me see if there are any clues here…"

Neji dipped his head in agreement, and with a last look at the body of his cousin, he left, taking Hanabi by the hand as he headed back towards the old house.

He looked up at Pein.

"Could one of your people go and stay with Tenten. I don't like the thought of her in that state on her own. Trust isn't an issue…not after this…"

He looked back at the bodies. Akatsuki mixed with Leaf. It was horribly ironic.

Pein nodded.

"Deidara. Go and find her."

The blonde nodded and left the building. As his footsteps died away, the remaining group stood in silence, listening to the rain pounding the roof.

The Akatsuki left the storehouse, Sasori carrying the body of Itachi. Pein and Konan wore emotionless expressions on their faces. Hidan was still strangely quiet; the thought of his comrades going down so easily had hit him hard. Kakuzu and Tobi were unreadable beneath their masks.

Tenten kept walking, if only to keep her mind on the steady rhythm of her paces than thinking about other things. She reached a small covered area in the centre of the rose garden. It was a small dome, built atop four marble pillars with an intricate mosaic tiling beneath her feet. On a sunny day, the view would have been beautiful, especially if the roses had been tended to. The thought made fresh tears well up in her soft brown eyes. She felt broken and shattered, empty, as if nothing would ever fill the huge gap left by Lee's departure. She knew that Neji was probably hiding the emotions he felt at the loss of both his cousin and his team-mate. She closed her eyes. He had always been stronger than she. She leant against a white pillar, her head bowed, loose bits of here falling across her eyes.

She thought she heard something, and looked up, directly into a piercing cerulean eye, that regarded her thoughtfully. She took a step back.

"Why are you here?" She demanded, hurriedly wiping her tears off of her face.

"Your sensei requested that I be sent to stay with you. It's dangerous to be alone out here."

"It's dangerous to be alone with an S-rank criminal…" She muttered, looking away.

Deidara smiled uncomfortably.

"Look, the fact that three of our members were also killed puts us in the clear doesn't it? Well…at least for now anyway. We won't hurt you, especially since we all want to find out who committed the murder."

This triggered another sob from Tenten, although she quickly disguised it as a cough.

"Look…" Deidara said awkwardly, "I'm sorry for what happened…"

He sighed, and put an arm around the girl, hoping that it would comfort her in some way. She flinched away at first, but then accepted it blankly. Deidara wondered why he had suddenly turned into such a softy. He loathed showing any weakness, and yet, here he was, consoling a teenage girl. He guessed that the loss of all of his ability and art coupled with the sudden and brutal deaths of usually such powerful shinobi had stirred everyone up a bit…well it would, naturally. So there he stayed, close by the girl as she let out the sorrow in her aching heart, the rain turning the world grey around them.


	8. Change of Heart

**Chapter eight.**

**I do not own Naruto or Umineko.**

**Please review! I might need some suggestions for pairings…^_^**

The afternoon passed slowly to the people confined in the old house, emphasized by the ticking of the clocks that seemed to be present in every room. Neji was still somewhat in a state of shock. Tenten just stared at the dull carpet blankly, occasionally looking up and out of the window at the rain as it continued to pour outside. The murders remained on everybody's minds, and no-one really spoke that much.

Neither Kakashi nor Shikamaru had found anything helpful in the storehouse at all. He had returned with grim faces and entered the drawing room, where most of them now sat. Shikamaru leaned against the back of the sofa, her eyes tight shut as he racked his brains, trying to solve what was going on. Half and hour later, he disappeared mumbling something about 'going to the library'. Tenten soon left the room as well, heading up to the bathroom to wash the blood off of her and her clothes. Sasori had gone straight up to his room when they re-entered the house, taking Itachi's body with him.

Kakashi had just been considering leaving to go and see if there was anything in the building to eat, when Shikamaru burst back into the room, holding a stack of assorted, very old looking, books.

"Look at this!" he exclaimed, as he dropped the heavy volumes down onto the wooden table in the centre of the room. The joints creaked ominously; evidently not built to hold up such a weight.

Kakashi looked intrigued and, and stepped over to have a look at the open page that Shikamaru was poring over. It showed a diagram identical to the odd inscription on the door to the storehouse, except it was drawn in ink rather than in blood. He narrowed his eyes at the writing that accompanied the diagram.

"What does it say?" Kakashi asked, looking at Shikamaru with an expression of urgency.

"I – don't know. It's in Latin...I think." Shikamaru replied with a sigh. He opened some of the other books. By now, the others had gathered around to look at them as well. They were all in different languages, none of which were readable.

"But they're definitely all the same drawing, that's sure." Kakashi pointed out, "Does anyone know what any of these mean?"

Everyone shook their head, or just closed their eyes in reply. Suddenly, a small voice broke the heavy silence.

"Oh, I know!" Hanabi said, leaping her feet and skipping over.

Shikamaru looked at the young girl, his face creased up in confusion. This girl's own sister had just been brutally murdered by an unknown force, and yet, she had shown absolutely no remorse at all since the incident. Shikamaru supposed that it would take a while to sink in. Kakashi smiled gently.

"What does it mean then, Hanabi?" He asked kindly. The best thing with this girl was to play along.

"That part," The girl said as he pointed to a line adorning one of the arms of the star, "means freedom, or release."

She looked up at Kakashi with a wide smile.

"And the circle here?" He said, drawing it in the air with her index finger "means a pen, or a castle...or dungeon...and the little bit in the middle of the star means happiness, and contentment!" She said happily, looking extremely proud of herself.

"And how, may I ask, do you know all this crap?" Hidan sneered, crossing his arms.

"Beatrice told me!" Hanabi beamed.

The room went quiet again.

"There are no such thing as witches." Deidara said sternly. He closed his eyes. The whole idea was ridiculous. Witches? His lip curled in a smile. They were things kids believed in, he had never heard such a stupid idea.

Pein spoke up.

"Even so," He said, "I think that be are going to have acknowledge the possible existence of a 19th person on the island, witch or not. Think; look at the situation form the murderer's point of view. They would want us to suspect one-another, wouldn't they? This is the perfect scenario for them. As it is, the most likely people in this room to commit this crime, is me."

Kakashi's head snapped around to face Pein.

"What are you talking about?"

"None of you Konoha nin possessed any of the five master keys when the murder was committed. Only one of us could have done it. However, none of them would commit the crime unless under my instruction, being leader. Since I was with no-one other than Konan at the time of the disappearances, as we were discussing the possible Bijuu on the island at that time, it makes sense that either she or I did it."

Shikamaru stood up.

"Are you giving yourself up?" He demanded.

"I didn't say that." Pein said, "Merely that it makes the most sense for me to be the perpetrator."

Neji sighed, and also got to his feet.

"I'm going to check on Tenten. I don't like the thought of her being out there on her own." He explained, as he left the room, his footsteps dying away as he took to the stairs.

Pein closed his unusual eyes.

"I'm tired. Without my other bodies I weaken more quickly."

The others of course didn't know what he meant, but didn't say anything as they watched him leave as well. Konan soon left her seat and followed him, her face blank of emotion; although Shikamaru could tell she was concerned.

Meanwhile, Neji stood outside the door to Tenten's room. He knocked quietly on the wood with the back of his hand.

"Tenten, are you alright?" He asked, his ears straining to hear any movement. He stepped back as he heard the doorknob being turned on the other side. It swung open, and Tenten stepped out. Her dark brown hair was down, and still slightly wet from her shower.

"I thought I'd tell you the water system still worked..." She said quietly. He was wearing her extra supply of clothes that she carried wither her for emergencies, so was devoid of blood stains. Neji looked down at his own clothing. It was covered in blood from where he had knelt down in the storehouse. Tenten looked blankly up at him before pushing past and hurrying away downstairs, without another word, to join the others. Neji followed slowly, passing Pein and Konan as they made their way to their room. He turned and looked at them as they went into Pein's room, the click of the chain-lock on the door cutting through the silence of the corridor.

Once back downstairs, he found that only Kakashi, Kakuzu and Hanabi remained in the drawing room, still staring at the open books, deep in thought.

"Where are the others?" Neji asked, thinking of Tenten, Shikamaru, that Hidan fellow, Deidara, and the one in the orange mask.

"They went to the kitchen to see if they could find food." Kakashi replied.

Neji nodded and sat down.

Hours passed. Tenten and the others soon returned arms full of various cans and boxes. Hidan looked like he was about to starve.

"Where's Tobi?" Kakuzu asked them, looking up.

"We thought he was with you." Hidan replied, grunting as he dropped his load onto the vacant sofa.

"The fool is probably exploring or something." Deidara sighed. His foot caught on the edge of the rug, and his armful of food crashed onto Kakuzu and the floor. Shikamaru found himself laughing. It seemed like the best thing in the world at that moment, to laugh. The others joined in, and Deidara was left, extremely red-faced, to pick them up again. Tenten bent down to help him, with earned her an appreciative glance from him. She too blushed and concentrated on the cans she was picking up, avoiding his face. Hidan took a tin-opener out of his pocket and set about tearing at the metal cylinders with violence, kind of missing the point. Soon however, they all had a substantial meal of tinned fruits, various kinds of tinned bolognaise that Shikamaru cooked in the kitchen, and a badly made powdered custard.

"We should take some upstairs for leader and Konan." Said Deidara, his mouth full of limp spaghetti.

He stood up and gathered a collection of different varieties of food onto a tray, and gave it to Hidan.

"Why do eye have to do it?" Hidan growled.

"Because if you don't," Kakuzu replied in a low and foreboding voice, "We'll tie you to a post and offer you up to the 'witch'."

Hidan told Kakuzu to go and do something that Hanabi found hilarious, and left.

Hidan grumbled to himself as he stomped up the stairs. Stupid Kakuzu. There was no damn witch. It was just that stupid girl's imagination running away from her. He felt like a stupid maid, holding a tray full of tinned food for Leader and his 'girlfriend'. He stopped outside the door and sighed.

"Hey, Leader. Food." He said. She rolled his eyes and hit his fist harder against the door.

"Konan, Pein, I know you can hear me. Do you want dinner or not?"

Silence.

"Hellooooo?"

Nothing.

"I'm coming in, this is creeping me out." He growled, and set down the tray. He sighed, and took a step back. He ran into the door, ramming his shoulder against the old frame, listening to the cracking wood with every impact. Finally, the door splintered into several pieces and broke. Hidan pushed through the detritus, scratching his head sheepishly.

"Yeah...sorry about that but you..."

His eyes widened as he looked at the scene before him.

"Oh Jashin." He said in a low voice, clutching his rosary.


	9. The Closed Room

**And I present: Chapter Nine!**

**I don't own Umineko No Naku Koro Ni or Naruto!**

**Wow, I'm getting depressed just writing these **

Tenten looked up as she heard a loud crash from upstairs. The others also snapped to alert, Kakashi standing up. The sound of fast running got steadily louder, until Hidan burst into the drawing room, breathless.

"Uh...uhm..." He seemed to be at a loss for words. His eyes were wide, pupils dilated.

"Hidan, what's the matter?" Kakuzu said, his expression hidden under his mask.

"It's...well...just come and see..." Hidan backed out of the room, and over to the wide carpeted staircase, waiting for the others. The group filed out of the room, sharing looks of curiosity as they followed Hidan, who was now swearing and cursing under his breath as they ascended the stairs.

"I already told Sasori...he was examining the...uh...yeah...when I left..." Hidan said.

"Examining the what?" Kakashi asked, with a growing feeling of foreboding.

"You'll see."

He led them through the upstairs corridor, until they were outside the wreckage of Pein and Konan's door. They picked their way through it, and all took a sudden step back as they saw what Hidan had been talking about. Konan was lying diagonally on the bed, her head lolling to one side. Her Akatsuki robes were shiny and wet with blood from a hideous wound on her forehead. A twisted metallic steak had pierced her skull; she was dead. Her eyes were open and unfocussed, her mouth open.

Deidara blanched, and took several more steps back, hitting the wall.

"Konan…" Kakuzu said. It was hard to tell if he was sad, or angry, or however he felt from his blank tone of voice.

"I always thought she was one of the strongest among us…" He continued. Tenten was frozen to the spot, but shook herself, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. No. She would be stronger this time. It wasn't fair on the others if she broke down. If they all did that, what hope would there be?

"Well, Pein must have done it." Neji observed. "He was the only one in here when she was killed, plus, the door was locked according to Hidan, and we were with the other Akatsuki members the whole time."

Sasori's cool voice greeted them from a room attached to the main bedroom.

"I'm afraid…that's not entirely true." He said in his usual emotionless manner. The others all looked up at the sound of his voice, and followed it into a small en suite bathroom. Sasori was looking at the empty bathtub.

Inside, lay the body of Pein. Rivulets of blood ran down his face, from a wound in his head identical to Konan's. His strange, ripple-patterned eyes were also open and unfocussed, but he was quite definitely dead. His cloak was also soaked in the red liquid.

"What?" Hidan said, his voice unusually high-pitched.

"Leader? How could he have been killed?"

"For him to be so silently and efficiently taken out like this…" Deidara murmured, eyes locked on the corpse of their master.

"So Leader was innocent all along, eh?" Hidan said, crossing his arms, but his face still showing shock.

"I wouldn't exactly say _innocent_." Intoned Shikamaru from where he stood in the door way, making sure Hanabi didn't see the corpses.

"But…this room was locked from the inside, right? And so were the windows so…how could a murderer have got in?" Tenten queried, sounding a lot calmer than she actually was…if the Akatsuki Leader had been so swiftly dispatched, surely none of them stood a chance…

"I agree that it is implausible unless," Neji said, "Unless Pein murdered Konan, and then committed suicide, or Konan murdered Pein and committed suicide. It's a perfect 'closed room' situation."

"You are _all _wrong!" Hanabi called from the doorway.

"I guess that you're going to say that it was Beatrice who did it, un?" Deidara said, looking around at the small girl. Her mouth was wide in a unsettling grin.

"_On the second twilight, the remaining will tear apart the two who are close." _ Hanabi quoted, her eyes wide, pupils tiny.

"That's…not…true!" Deidara said, his voice raised. "Witches don't exist! They can't exist!" He growled, putting a hand to his head.

Tenten looked from Deidara to Hanabi, would was now laughing. There was definitely something wrong with that girl. Had the sudden and violent death of her sister done something to her mind?

"Kihihihi!" Hanabi giggled, her grin wider than ever. "Beatrice does exist, Deidara!"

The blonde looked up and strode swiftly across the room, grabbing the girl's arm.

At once, Tenten ran forward before the others had a chance to react. She pulled Hanabi away from Deidara, placing herself in-between them. Since the death of Hinata, she felt that Hanabi was her responsibility.

Deidara looked stunned, but his usually handsome face fell, and he looked at the floor.

"I'm sorry…" He said.

Tenten sighed. She knew exactly how he felt. A few times since the beginning of the incident, she had just wanted to shout and scream, to let loose the tension built up inside her, loose herself and not have to worry. But…she couldn't. She had to remain strong and find out what was going on. Hanabi's constant babblings about witches sure didn't help.

"It's alright." She said to Deidara, who looked up, surprised. "I was nearly at that point myself."

"We can't leave the bodies in here. They'll start to smell." Kakuzu said, assessing the situation from a practical point of view.

"I suggest we put them in the storehouse with the others." Shikamaru said, his gaze lingering over the bodies before them.

"I'll do it." Kakuzu offered.

"Dammit…" Hidan sighed. "I guess I'll help."

Deidara raised an eyebrow at Hidan. This was the first time Hidan had ever volunteered to help in something that wasn't related to mass slaughter. Kakashi nodded, and motioned to the others.

"We'll return to the drawing room for now…come up with a plan of what to do next."

"As will we." Sasori said, looking at Deidara, who narrowed his eyes at him. Who died and made Sasori in charge all of a sudden? Oh right…yeah…

As the party slowly descended the stairs, Hidan and Kakuzu a little way being because of their burdens, Deidara's brows knitted in confusion.

"Hey, what's that smell, un?" He asked. Everyone tried to work out what Deidara meant. As the reached the ground floor, it hit them. Neji covered his nose, and Shikamaru screwed up his face in disgust.

"Urgh…" Tenten muttered, "I see what you mean."

They all entered the drawing room (apart from Hidan and Kakuzu who instead set off to the storehouse) and shut the door. The smell still seemed to be everywhere. It smelt kind of familiar, like…Tenten couldn't put her finger on it…

"I don't like it…" Kakashi said in an undertone. The others looked at him.

"I mean, something feels wrong."

"I agree." Sasori said. He was staring at the floor.

Shikamaru nodded.

"We should send out some parties to search, just in case." He said.

Tenten looked doubtful.

"But remember what happened last time?" She said anxiously.

"Yes…" Sasori replied, "But whatever we find might give us some sort of clue to who is behind these murders…"

"It's pointless trying to find her!" Hanabi said, her voice so small and high in comparison with Sasori's.

Everyone turned to face her.

"Beatrice will reveal herself to all of us when she is ready, and then she will take us to the golden land!"

Kakashi looked about to argue, but Tenten silenced him with a look. The others ignored her.

"I will go with Deidara." Sasori informed them, as he stood up, grabbing Deidara's arm and taking the confused looking blonde out of the room.

"In which case," Kakashi said, "Tenten, go with Neji and take Hanabi. I'll go with Shikamaru."

The groups split up once more.

Meanwhile, Sasori was leading Deidara down a flight of richly carpeted stairs, which led to an underground floor.

"Hey, Danna, where are we going, un?" Deidara said, looking around with unease.

The red-head gave a sinister smile, as his stopped in front of a plain wooden door.

"I noticed the smell a few hours earlier, when I was in my room, preparing Itachi's body." He said, a flicker of annoyance crossing his face as Deidara grimaced at his art.

"I went to find out for myself what the source was. I tracked it down here, but before I could go any further, that idiot Hidan called be back upstairs to look at Konan and Pein. I still don't trust the Konoha nin."

Deidara wasn't listening. He was holding his hand over his face.

"What is that smell, Danna? It stinks of burning meat, un…" Then he looked suddenly at his partner.

"What is the room in front of us, un?"

"It's the boiler room, I believe." Said Sasori.

Deidara pushed open the door. It creaked as the old timbers protested at the sudden movement. The smell that hit them was like a wall, causing Deidara to recoil. Sasori rolled his hazel eyes, and turned on the light as he descended the steps.


	10. Resistance and Fire

**Chapter ten!**

**Whoa…chapter ten already? ^_^**

**Umineko and Naruto do not belong to me!**

Tenten, Neji and Hanabi walked through the upstairs' corridor, their footsteps sinking into time with ticking of the clocks.

"And so…all the people we so far suspected…turned out to be innocent…" Tenten said quietly as they walked. The light outside the windows was dimming, as night approached. Neji sighed and closed his eyes wearily.

"You really don't want to suspect any of us, do you, Neji? After all, the Akatsuki wouldn't murder their own leader."

"It seems…implausible…for any Konaha shinobi to kill their comrades in that way." He said, his voice devoid of its usual certainty.

"Then Beatrice has given you proof!" Hanabi said, looking up at her cousin, her face alight with a smile.

"Only a witch could have killed Pein and Konan in that locked room, don't you think?"

"Will you shut up?" Snapped Neji, making Tenten jump. His calm demeanour had vanished.

"Neji," Tenten said, tugging the sleeve of her team-mate, as the walked past the remains of the door to Pein's room, "What is that?"

A small piece of paper was poking out from under own of the shattered pieces of timber. Neji bent down and picked it up. It was another letter, like the one Hanabi had 'been given' in the rose garden. He opened the envelope and took out a pale cream piece of paper.

"The letter's from Beatrice! What does it say? What does it say?" Hanabi said excitedly.

Neji read it to himself, and turned the piece of paper over several times o check there was nothing else. He closed his eyes and said:

"It can open any door no matter how it's locked."

Meanwhile, Deidara and Sasori were picking their way down the stone steps that lead into the boiler room under the great old house. Their footsteps echoed with every step they took. Deidara had his hand held over his face, as he was seriously starting to worry about being sick due the disgusting smell all around him. The reached the bottom, and looked around. The naked light bulb above their heads flickered, and died. Suddenly, the sound of more footsteps sounded ahead of them.

"There's a path that leads outside from here!" Sasori exclaimed, and sprinted forwards, following the footsteps.

"Deidara, stay here." He called back, and with that, he disappeared into the darkness.

"Danna!" Yelled Deidara. He stayed put however; he for once did what Sasori told him.

Sasori's face was twisted into a snarl as he ran down the narrow corridor, various tanks and pipes lining the walls. The whole place stank, but that didn't really affect him like it did for other, more human, people. He stopped, listening out for the sound of the footsteps he had been following, but all was quiet.

Suddenly, a small yellow light appeared in the darkness. A golden butterfly fluttered around him, its paper thin wings beating the air silently. Another appeared, and another, until they filled the narrow corridor with their yellow light. A noise like softly whistling wind accompanied them as they glowed all around him.

He narrowed his eyes, and shrugged off his Akatsuki cloak. He then drew himself to his full height, his puppet body thrown into grotesque relief by the golden light. The pair of wing-like sets of blades hand limply at his sides, as did the stinger that filled the cavity where his stomach should have been. He grasped the base of one of the metal propeller shape blades, and broke it off, with a snap that cut the air.. He raised the sharp edged object to his face, and sneered.

"I know you are there." He said, his voice low and deadly.

The butterflies continued to wheel and circle around him, their light dancing off of the metallic elements of his body.

"Ever since I arrived here, I know someone else was on the island. More than the others, I could feel you draining my chakra away like a leach. Ever since we came, I have been becoming weaker, less able to control my body. Without my chakra I can barely move this form. Even as it is, only my will power has kept me going this long. But now that Pein is dead, I hardly find that I will be any match for you, therefore, I must acknowledge your existence. But hear me…witch, or whoever you are, I will kill you right here!"

He swung the broken blade above his head, his eyes wide and staring, at the same time at the light intensified all around him.

"Now die! BEATRICE!"

At the same moment, Deidara was sprinting through the halls and corridors of the old house. He knew that Danna was in danger, but he also knew that without his chakra, he was hardly able to defend him. He finally found the rest of the remaining ninja, Kakashi, Tenten, Neji, Hanabi, Shikamaru, Hidan and Kakuzu. They were all in the dining room, discussing the situation.

"What's wrong?" Asked Tenten, jumping up first, and running over to Deidara.

Deidara took a moment to catch his breath, before he looked up at the people around him, his face full of urgency.

"We…found where….the smell's….coming from…." He said in-between gasps for air. "Sasori…I think he's in danger."

The others looked at each other, nodded, and followed Deidara quickly.

With a few minutes, Deidara was leading them down the steps to the basement and boiler room. Nearly all of them had their hands clapped over their noses. Kakashi flipped the light switch, and it illuminated the darkened underground room.

"DANNA!" Came Deidara's strangled yell as his gaze fell on a crumpled object lying on the floor at the foot of the stairs.

Sasori's arms and legs were twisted at odd angles, and from his mouth trickled a strange purple fluid. Deidara knelt down at his side and rolled him over onto his back. His eyes were wide and frozen in a look of mild surprise. Deidara stared at the broken body silently. Sticking out of the cylinder that contained his organic heart, was another one of the strange, twisted metallic stakes. His front was covered in more of the purple liquid. Sure, Sasori had been a pain in the neck, with his grotesque art ideas, and imperious tone, but the older ninja had gotten Deidara out of more scrapes than he could count, and was one of the few in the Akatsuki who would put up with Deidara sometimes, even if he gave him death-threats afterwards.

Tenten stepped quietly towards Deidara's hunched form, and sat down beside him. After all, he had been there when she was at her weakest moment, it didn't matter whether he had wanted to be there or not; his presence was comforting, so she hoped that hers would be too. She shyly placed her pale hand over his. He didn't show any confirmation that he had even noticed. Hidan ignored them, and crossed the small room, his nose wrinkled in disgust.

"It smells like that stench is coming from in here…" He looked a metal container full of wood and coal, which was placed next to the furnace that heated the boiler system. Hidan scowled at the burning heat that the furnace was radiating, but put up with it, to peer into the container.

He suddenly shouted one of the loudest profanities he had ever made. Out of the rectangular storage box, he pulled a corpse, blackened, almost fleshless, and covered in soot from the furnace.


	11. Immunity

**Chapter eleven!**

**I still haven't decided who should be the one to play the game against Beato...if anyone has any ideas, could they please tell me?**

**I do not own Umineko or Naruto!**

The body hit the stone floor of the boiler room with a dull thud, as Hidan dropped it in disgust. He wiped his sooty hands on his cloak as he rolled the body over with his foot. There was a clatter, as something fell off of the corpse's face.

It was fragment of a mask, black from its time in the furnace, but one could still make out part of the swirling pattern that decorated its surface. The fire had still however, destroyed the face entirely, except for the some of the bone structure of the skull that remained, and crispy bits of flesh still attached here and there. Another twisted metallic stake protruded from the body's forehead.

Deidara sighed as he stared at the remains, having torn his gaze away from Sasori's crumpled form.

"Tobi..." He said, before then looking down at the floor in silence. Tenten bit her lip in concern, and tentatively put her arm around Deidara.

"He was...a pain at times, but..." Began Hidan, but couldn't finish his sentence. They were all suddenly painfully aware of their dwindling numbers.

Suddenly, they heard footsteps from the thin corridor that lead away from the basement, and out into the house's grounds.

"They won't get away again!" Yelled Deidara, so loud that Tenten recoiled and stood up quickly. Deidara scrambled to his feet, and with a last look at the two corpses in the room, began to sprint after the retreating footsteps. He breathed heavily as he ran, felling the heat from the boiler tanks on either side of him. His feet pounded the stone floor, had to avenge them, had to. With a minute, he had sprinted right through the underground passage and out into the gardens once more. He spun around, looking in all directions for the illusive murder, but there was no-one there. He growled with frustration.

"If you can hear me," Deidara shouted into the cold air, "Listen to me now. I'm going to find you, whoever you are, and I won't rest until you are dead! I'll kill you!"

There was no reply whatsoever, except for the continual battering of the rain upon the roof and the cracked concrete paving that made up the overgrown paths. The rest of the group caught up to him. Tenten saw the look in Deidara's eye, one that she had worn when she discovered the death of Lee. She ran up to him and put her arms around him. He recoiled, but she held on.

"Deidara, listen to me!" She said, as tears began to fall down her cheeks.

"Don't fall into that pit of despair! We have to stay...calm...and work this out together, all of us..."

Deidara wretched himself out of her arms, and she staggered back, falling backwards into a puddle that had accumulated in one of the many pot-holes.

"Leave me alone!" He yelled at her.

"Don't you dare speak to her like that!" Neji shouted.

Shikamaru looked at Neji with surprise. He never shouted at anyone, always being cool and calm.

"Hey, like you're one to talk!" Hidan replied.

Kakashi listened to them arguing, and sighed.

"Listen..." He said, and they went quiet.

"If we don't get along and start to work together, we're all going to die. Yes, die. We need to find a safe place to barricade ourselves before we come up with a plan for what we are to do next. Understood?"

The all nodded slowly at him. Neji looked at the ground, ashamed of himself. Deidara walked over top Tenten, who had stood up and was wringing water out of her hair, which was still down from earlier.

"Look...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to...you know...it's just I..."

Tenten smiled at him sadly, and he too went quiet. Hidan crossed his arms and looked grumpy, whilst Kakuzu, Shikamaru and Hanabi remained silent throughout.

"Thank you," Kakashi said, "Now, I think I know somewhere that we will be safe, if you will follow me."

The rest of the group nodded, and began to follow Kakashi back through the underground passage through the boiler room back into the main house. There steps were the only sound they made as they walked through the corridors, turning on all of he lights that they passed, as the sky was starting to get dark outside once more. They stopped outside a door that lead on from the main hallway. It was the door to the library. Tenten eyed the huge portrait of Beatrice that seemed to taunt her from the opposite wall. Kakashi looked down, and took a small object out of his pocket.

"Hanabi, you gave this to me, could you tell me what it means please?" He said, holding out the small silver charm. At the same time, Tenten remembered the one that Hanabi had given her as well, and fished it out from where she had hung it around her neck.

"Of course!" Hanabi looked ecstatic to be the centre of attention, and pointed to the small inscription on Kakashi's charm happily.

"This here? It means protection, and defence! It's why Beatrice couldn't get you, Kakashi sensei!"

Kakashi looked thoughtful at this, and remembered the horrid scribble that had had covered his door with blood on the first day of the incidents.

Deidara shook his head.

"This is ridiculous. There is no such thing as witches." He muttered. However, everyone ignored him.

"This is as I thought. Thank you, Hanabi." Kakashi said, as Hanabi beamed with pride. He then bent down, to examine the brass door knob in front of him. Scratched into the metal, was the same pattern that adorned the protection charm in his hand.

"Hanabi, do you think that we will be safe in this room?" He asked.

Hanabi nodded vigorously.

"Yes, Beatrice won't be able to come in here!"

Kakashi nodded gratefully, and opened the door. The group filed inside. Luckily the room was one of the larger ones in the house, tall and ornate bookshelves lining three of the walls. Many armchairs and tables were dotted throughout the room, in which Shikamaru sat with a sigh. Kakashi closed the door with a snap and joined the others. Neji was busily flipping through one of the books on the shelves around them.

"Most of these books seem to focus on the occult, there's got to be something in one of them that can help us." He was saying.

Kakuzu was doing the same on the opposite side of the room, and Hidan was staring out of the large window at the rain outside. Tenten sat next to Deidara on a dark sofa, looking silently at the floor. Hanabi stood up and took Shikamaru's hand, pulling him over to one of the tables on Hidan's side of the room, bumping into a scowling Kakuzu on the way. She proceeded to explain to Shikamaru the various symbols that had previously Tenten couldn't help but smile. It must have been the first time that a child had ever had to explain something to Shikamaru the genius.

She sighed, and then looked quickly down at her pocket. She drew out a handful of shuriken. She's forgotten she had those...

Tenten suddenly stood, as she noticed something pale on the table which Shikamaru and Hanabi had just been working on. They now had their backs to her, and were next to Kakuzu, picking through more books on the shelf. On the table, lay an envelope adorned with the image of a golden butterfly, identical to the two left be 'Beatrice' that she already seen.

"Who put that there?" She demanded.

Hidan, Kakuzu, Hanabi and Shikamaru spun around, to look at the letter. Tenten took on an expression of fury.

"Only one of you over on that side of the room could have placed that letter on the table, so who was it?"

Tenten was shaking now, as the tension that she had been feeling for the past two days, building up inside her, broke free. She raised bother hands, full of shuriken.

"You may not have noticed," She said in a deadly voice, "But I possess the most ability here; I need no chakra to strike you down with my weapons. One of you four must have put that letter there, meaning that you are either the murderer, or the murder's accomplice, so I repeat. Who did it?"


	12. Division

**Chapter twelve…**

**Whoa, I'm nearly at the end of the first game! The third letter is from the original story.**

**Anyway, suggestions are welcome!**

**I don't own Umineko or Naruto!**

Kakashi looked at Tenten with wild surprise.

"Tenten! Calm down!" He said, not getting too close. He knew that he too was skilled with shuriken and kunai, but not to her degree, besides, he wouldn't attack a comrade. Plus, everyone might start believing that he was the culprit.

"Tenten…" Hanabi said, her voice neither sad nor afraid. "Look behind you."

Tenten turned, but making sure she was always aware of the people behind her, and gasped. The portrait of Beatrice was hanging on the wall behind her. It was smaller, but identical in every other way. Also, the plaque on which the epitaph was written was nailed to the wall underneath it.

"That wasn't there when we came in." Deidara murmured, his eyes fixed on the golden writing. Suddenly, a look of realisation crossed his face.

"Look at the epitaph, what it says." He said. After a minute or two, the faces around the room began to mirror his.

He looked around before he continued:

"The murders…they _are_ happening in accordance with the script…the six sacrifices at the beginning, and then…"

"The remaining tearing apart the two who were close…Pein and Konan." Kakashi intoned, reading ahead.

"I think it's time I admitted to something…" Shikamaru said. All eyes turned to him, and Tenten trained her shuriken closely on him. He drew an envelope out of his pocket, just like the one on the table that was now in Deidara's hands (he had leant forward and picked it up).

"What is it?" Spat Tenten venomously.

"When we went down to the boiler room, there was this letter in the doorframe. I picked it up and read it, but it didn't seem important so I didn't tell you…"

"That makes you twice as likely to have been the one to place the third letter on the table!" Tenten shouted, tensing her arms.

"Tenten." Kakashi said quickly, with a look of impatience at her. "Shikamaru, what does it say?" He asked, looking at the letter in his hand. Shikamaru opened the envelope and drew out the paper

"_Glorify in my name_." He said.

"Is that all?" Hidan asked, sounding disappointed. Shikamaru nodded.

"But that _is _important!" Deidara said, as he pointed at one of the lines in the epitaph.

"_At the third twilight, the surviving shall praise my honorable name on high." _Deidara read. "Se, it all fits. Whether the murderer is a witch or not is unimportant. What's important is that we know the murderer if killing according to the inscription!"

"So then, the fourth and fifth twilights were refering to sasori and Tobi?" Neji asked.

"Exactly." Kakashi replied.

"But that means that at least three more people have to die, according to the epitaph!" Tenten said, looking back at the four on the other side of the room.

"No…look closer '_At the ninth twilight, the Witch shall be revived and none shall be left alive'."_ Deidara said quietly.

"Does that mean that we are all going to be killed?" Asked Tenten, her eyes widened.

"Kihihihi! It doesn't matter if all of us have to die!" Hanabi said, a sinister smile on her face, made all the more unerving on one so young. "We all get to go to the golden land in the end, just like it says!"

Tenten's face contorted in anger.

"Of course it matters! There can't be a golden land. Those people – our friends shouldn't have to die for this….fairytale!" She hissed.

"I…agree." Deidara said, looking at Hanabi with a face full of dislike.

"Ah, but don't you see?" Hanabi giggled, "When Beatrice is revived, she will give us treasures that include the lives of all the dead, and a lost love…kihihi!"

"Just shut up!" Tenten yelled, raising her hands full of shuriken once more. "I've had it with this. Deidara? Could you read the third letter to us, then we can decide what to do with these four, as none of them will admit to placing it there!"

Hidan looked on with surprise as Deidara nodded and opened the envelope, drawing out the creamy paper.

"_Have you been enjoying the riddle of my master's epitaph? There isn't much time left for any of you. Please abandon any naïve about being able to escape when the storm passes. This game can only end with me or the rest of you winning. When your time runs out, it'll be my victory. I ask you not to misunderstand this situation."_

"There's also some kind of scribble on the back of the paper, like the one on the door to the storehouse." Deidara added.

Tenten's gaze became murderous.

"So, who of you put it there? Come on, all of you should have seen! The fact that none of you are telling me means you are all working together!" She snarled.

"It wasn't us!" hanabi said, her hands balled into fists.

"Hanabi…did you see Beatrice again? Was it her?" Kakashi asked quietly.

"I thought none of you belived in Beatrice?" Hanabi said with a sick smile.

"If you won't tell me who put down that letter on the table, I will make all of you leave this room." Tenten said, very quietly, but they could hear the threat in her tone.

"Tenten…" Deidara began.

"If you won't tell us, then it means all four of you are culprits!" She continued, ignoring Deidara.

Kakuzu closed his eyes, and put up his hands. Without chakra, he couldn't harden his skin or use his black threads, so had to adm,it he was in a no-win situation.

"We understand," Shikamaru said with a sigh. "If you believe so strongly that it was us, we will leave the room."

"Wait!" Tenten said as they turned to leave. "Give us the keys that you possess first."

Kakuzu sighed, and dropped three ornate keys on the table. One was his, one had been Sasori's, and the last had belonged to Pein. The four of them walked to the doorway, Hidan grumbling, and Hanabi last.

"Hanabi!" Neji called after her.

They could hear her twisted laugh as she continued to walk away.

"Don't worry, cousin." She said, "The door to the golden land will be opened very soon, and then all of the dead shall be revived."

She turned, her smile truly _too _wide.

"We will all be happy." She said.

The metal shuriken clinked together in Tenten's hands.

"Now get out, or I'll thorw these!"

The turned to go, but Kakashi stepped forward.

"Wait," she said, as he dropped something into Hanabi's hand. It was the chram she had given him. Hanabi, Shikamaru, Hidan and Kakuzu left the room, closing the door with a click behind them.

After a while, Neji looked at Tenten, his eyes cold.

"If one of the four is innocent, then you've just put them in great danger, Tenten." He said.

"In which case, I have sacrifised one in order to make sure the rest of us survive." She said, without looking at him.

"I'm interested in the drawing you said was on the back of the paper." Kakashi said, taking the letter from Deidara, he smoothed it out on the table infront of them.

"Hey, I saw that one in one of these books!" Said Deidara eagerly, as he retrived one of the old volumes from the pile next to him and found the right page. He was right, the two were identical.

"Dammit, the writing is all in Latin again…" He growled fustratedly.

"wait a moment, I found a book over here that could translate that…" Said Neji as he too brought a book over. He took a pencil from the poy on the table, and set about translating the writing that accompanied the darwing.

"What does it say?" tenten asked, leaning over to have a closer look.

"_Discord. Fan up internal divisions and make the enemy destroy themselves." _Neji read.

"What a minute!" Deidara said, his eyes widening, "Then, wasn't that letter just a trap?"

"If so, we did exactly what the murderer wanted…" Replied Kakashi.

Tenten remained silent.

Suddenly, the old telephone in the corner of the room began to ring.

The four looked at it, and for the first time since the start of the incidence, all of them looked truly afraid.

Kakashi walked over to it, and picked it up.

"Hello?" He asked.


	13. Unlucky for Some

**Chapter (unlucky) Thirteen! **

**Please review!**

**I don't own Umineko or Naruto.**

A softly singing voice greeted them, from the other end of the phone line.

"Hello?" Repeated Kakashi, his tone getting more urgent.

"…_walk through the blossom trees with the…" _The singing voice sounded as if it was coming from a person standing across the room from the telephone receiver.

"Hello! Who is this?"

"…_then spring will be here again and we…"_

"Who's singing?" Kakashi was shouting into the mouth piece now.

"…_we will all be together at last and happy…"_

"That's Hanabi's voice!" Neji said, realisation dawning on his face. It had been difficult to tell, as the line was fuzzy and crackling, "Something's wrong."

He turned and threw open the library door, before sprinting out of sight down the corridor.

"Neji!" Yelled Tenten, and she followed him, her hands poised full of shuriken in case of attack. Deidara ran after her, and Kakashi brought up the rear.

Their pounding footsteps echoed through the house, but they could all hear faintly the sound of Hanabi's voice, still singing, in the back ground. Neji seemed to have pin-pointed without his Byakugan where her haunting music was coming from. He had grabbed a long brass pole from its place as a bracket on the wall, and was holding it like a spear as he skidded to a halt outside a door, the door to the drawing room. Hanabi's singing continued from inside the room. It was locked.

"So he kept one of the keys after all did he?" Tenten growled.

Deidara took one of the keys Kakuzu had left for them, and unlocked the door. He pushed it open with a creak, and stepped inside. He immediately swore as he laid eyes on what lay within. They all stepped inside. Kakashi's eyes widened, as did Neji, and Tenten looked as though she was about to be sick.

Huge splatters of blood were covering parts of the walls, the floor and in places, even the ceiling. On one said of the room, lay the body of Hidan. His face was smashed open on one side, and another of the metal stakes protruded from his stomach. Face down on the rug a feet away, was Kakuzu. Not only was his face destroyed, but each of masks on his back had also been smashed. This time, a stake had been stabbed into his kneecap. Lastly, propped up against the adjacent wall was the corpse of Shikamaru. His face was also rendered unrecognisable, and a stake was thrust into his shin.

Deidara closed his eyes, before reciting:

"_At the sixth twilight, gouge the stomach and kill.  
At the seventh twilight, gouge the knee and kill.  
At the eighth twilight, gouge the leg and kill."_

"Hanabi!" Neji called, as he saw her. She was standing at the wall furthest from them, facing away from thim and into the dark velvet curtain, still singing softly.

"Hanabi, stop the singing!" He said as he ran over to her. Kakashi and Deidara followed, Tenten remaining at the door, guarding the entrance. The younger girl looked dazed as Neji put a hand on her shoulder and turned her around to face them.

"What hapenned here? Who Killed them?" He said, quieter.

"Beatrice." Hanabi replied.

Deidara's face went pale. He rushed forward.

"Shut up about this Beatrice shit!" He yelled.

Kakashi quickly intervenes, putting himself between Deidara and Hanabi.

"Clam down." He ordered. Deidara looked fustrated and afraid, but resigned himself to grinding his teeth.

Kakashi turned to the little girl.

"Hanabi, you must have seen who did this to them. Who was the culprit, trithfully." He asked, in a softer voice.

"Beatrice." Hanabi repeated, her face looing more insistant than before.

"So…she really does exist then…this nineteenth person, Beatrice…" Neji said, his voice hollow.

"She exists…" Kakashi added.

"Hanabi," Deidara said, his eyes closed, trying to stay calm, "You saw her then…how did she kill Hidan, kakuzu and Shikamaru?"

"I don't…know." Hanabi said quietly.

"That's riciculous, un!" Deidara exploded, "It happened right here in this room!"

"Deidara!" Growled Kakashi warningly, before kneeling down to look closer at the young girl.

"Hanabi, why were facing the wall, and why were you singing?" He asked kindly.

"Beatrice told me to face the wall, and sing something." Hanabi said.

The others gave a visible double-take at these words.

"So she came in here then?" Kakashi continued.

"Mmmhmm." Said Hanabi.

"And Shikamaru, Hidan and Kakuzu were still alive then?"

"Mmmhmm."

"And what about the door, un? It was locked!" Deidara said, arms crossed.

"Then, how did Beatrice get into this room?" Neji asked.

"Beatrice can do anything! She's a witch, locks mean nothing to her!" Said Hanabi, breaking into a huge smile, and spreading her arms wide. "She turned into a cloud of butterflies, and sliped through the crack in the door!" She continued.

"Yeah, like that happened, un." Deidara said dismissively.

"Kihihihihihi!" Laughed Hanabi, so suddenly that they all took a step back in shock. Her eyes were mad and wide again, with that unnatural smile.

"You don't believe me do you?" She said, "But Beatrice does exist. She can do anything with her endless magic powers! Locks are useless! And you know what? She told me a secret…"

The others all looked at each other in surprise before turning their eyes to the girl once more.

"She said that the door to the library was infused with some strong magic power, and that she couldn't get in! So, she chose the three remaining sacrifises from in here! But she also said, that I was safe. And it was all because of that charm you gave back to me, Kakashi-sensei! And that's when she then said, to face the wall and sing a song, that way, whatever happens, you may hear but you won't know. So, I sang all this time! I don't know what happened to the others!"_  
_

"I don't belive you! I won't belive you!" Deidara shouted, taking the girl's shoulders and shaking her.

"Kihihihi! Now that the eighth twilight is over, Beatrice will revive!" Hanabi said, her eyes creased with a disturbing happiness.

"Shut the hell up! What do you mean by this trash? Beatrice…witches…neither of them exist!" Deidara yelled.

"Deidara!" Kakashi yelled back at him, forcing him to release Hanabi's shoulders.

"Hey…" Neji said, turning to face the door, "Tenten, she's gone!"

"She left the room a minute ago, reading a letter." Hanabi said.

"A letter…" Kakashi began, but was interupted as Neji swept past him, running to the door.

"Tenten! Tenten!" He yelled, as he rattled the heavy wooden doors, "They won't open!"

Deidara and Kakashi ran over to help, Deidara's expression mirroring the panic on Neji's face.

From outside the door, one could see that the thick brass pole that Neji had cast aside earlier, was wedged in between the handles. A little way off, there came the noise of more footsteps as Tenten walked towards the huge portrait of Beatirce in the main hallway. Deidara and Neji's shouts could be heard, echoing dully around the wide space.

"I, am Tenten, of the Hidden Leaf village." She said, her eyes full of hatred and determination, both handfulls of shuriken poised and ready.

"Show yourself, golden Witch!" She said, her voice rising.

"Beatrice!"

A single golden butterfly appeared in the corner of the room, fluttering slowly towards here, that eerie singing, whistling sound accompanying it as it threw its soft golden light over its surroundings.

"So…you'vre finally come out of the shadows, huh?" Tenten growled.

"I'll finish this right now! BEATRICE!" She suddenly screamed.

The metallic sound of the shuriken filled the hallway.

At that moment, Deidara, Kakashi and Neji broke the door down, and ran out to the corridor, and into the main hallway…just in time to see Tenten's body fall backwards and hit the ground with a dull 'thud'.

"…Tenten…?" Neji said, almost too quiet to be heard.

"TENTEN!" Yelled Deidara, and sprinted over to her body. She was dead. Neji also ran over to her. Deidara sank to his knees beside her body, and rolled her over so she was facing up. A shuriken was embedded into her forehead. Small streams of blood were running from the wound and over her open and unfocussed eyes.


	14. Victory

**Chapter fourteen!**

**The end of part one is within sight!**

**I don't own Umineko or Naruto.**

Neji knelt by the fallen body of his team mate, and friend, with a face of disbelief that was rarely seen on that expressionless mask of his. The blood from the gruesome wound on her forehead was soaking into the white material of his shirt, but he didn't care at all. He sighed and stood wearily up, and walked over to where Kakashi was standing, looking intently at the portrait of Beatrice. Deidara remained by Tenten's limp form. His teeth were gritted and he was shaking with combined grief and anger. He reached forward with a trembling hand and slowly closed the girl's eyes, so it looked at though she might have been sleeping peacefully. He then touched her pale cheek before withdrawing his hand, her head lolling grotesquely to the side as he moved away. He then stood up, and turned away, eyes tightly closed, as he walked towards Neji and Kakashi. Hanabi watched them from behind the library door, a smile etched into her face.

"How did this happen…?" Kakashi said, looking back at her body. The three men looked at Tenten, at the blood that was slowly forming a large stain on the dull carpet around her head.

"Did she kill herself? That's definitely her shuriken…" Neji murmured quietly.

"I've…no idea…" Kakashi said dejectedly.

"Hey!" Deidara suddenly said, making Neji and Kakashi jump. "Hanabi said she had walked out reading a letter, un! Why did it lead her here, and what did it say?"

"_At the ninth twilight, the Witch shall be revived and none shall be left alive." _Hanabi said.

The others quickly spun around, and saw that she was now standing in front of the painting of Beatrice, looking up at it.

"And on_ the tenth twilight, the journey shall end and you should reach the village of gold." _Continued the younger girl, her gaze unmoving. She opened her arms and held them above her head, her face alight with a happy smile.

"And now, it's all finished! Beatrice, please take to that golden land you told me about! Guide me to the Golden Land!"

"SHUT UP!" Yelled Deidara, taking a step towards her. "Don't congratualate anyone! Fourteen of us are dead and now only us four are left! What's so wonderful about that, un?"

Deidara bent over, and rook two pairs of shuriken from where Tenten had dropped them when she died.

"I refuse to die! Until tomorrow comes, when the storm passes and we can escape from this place, I WILL NOT DIE!"

"Kihihihihi!" Laughed Hanabi, her shoulders quivering as she giggled.

"I wouldn't bother, Deidara! You know that silly weapons like that are no match for Beatrice! Besides, you are out of time anyway…look at the clock.

"What about the clock?" Said Kakashi as they all turned to look at the grandfather clock with the steadily swinging pendulum that was ticking on the other side of the room.

"The journey ends, and Beatrice revives!" Exclaimed Hanabi.

The minute hand jolted to match the hour hand at twelve. The clock began to chime.

"And no one is left alive…" She added, but much more quietly.

A shimmering form fluttered close by Hanabi, who smiled and watched it as it moved around the room.

"Beatrice!" She said happily.

"A – a golden butterfly?" Said Neji, his voice trembling slightly.

The clock's chiming filled the room.

"_Witch will praise the wise, and should bestow four treasures." _Hanabi said, her face becoming dark once more. The butterfly circled around her.

"_One shall be, all the gold from the Golden Land.  
One shall be, the resurrection of the souls of all the dead.  
One shall be, even the resurrection of the lost love.  
One shall be, to put the Witch to sleep for all time." _She continued.

The golden butterfly slowed it's flight, and landed silently where the woman in the protrait's heart should have been. Deidara clenched his teeth, as the tone of the chiming continued.

Deidara growled, and ran forwards. Hanabi stumbled out of the way quickly.

"Witches…don't…exist!" Deidara shouted.

He threw the shuriken from both of his hands, with as much power as he could. They all hit the butterfly and sank into the chest of the painted Beatrice. The butterfly shattered into golden fragments that began to sink to the ground. However, as they watched, each fragment morphed until it became another butterfly, and another, until a whole flock shone and fluttered over by the painting, throwing their golden light over every surface. They soft whistling, singing noise that followed them filled the room.

"What….on earth is going on?" Kakashi said quietly, caught in a trance of the glowing forms that filled the air.

Deidara's face was murderous as he picked up more of Tenten's shuriken, hurling them at Beatrice's portait, each of them embedding themselves into the canvas, one after another.

"I told you didn't I?" Hanabi said, smiling once more. "You can't hurt Beatrice with those."

The butterflies grew in number until they swirled around them. The noise they made and the bright golden light they emmited filled Deidara's ears and eyes. Neji was looking up at them in wonder, Kakshi in shock. Hanabi was laughing again.

"How…" Deidara began. "HOW COULD SOMETHING SO RIDICULOUS EXIST? I won't except it…I WON'T ACCEPT THAT YOU EXIST!"

Suddenly, above the wailing and whistling of the butterflies, a new sound emerged. It was a woman's voice, a cold and mirthless laugh filled the room, pressing into Deidara's ears, to the core of his being. It became louder and louder until he shut his eyes tight and clapped his hand over his ears in an attempt to block out the terrible sound. It wouldn't go away, if it would only stop! He could hear nothing else, not Kakashi, not Neji or Hanabi. He couldn't even see them anymore, all that lay before his eyes was piercing golden light. It hurt! It drove into his head and made him want to scream out loud. Until…everything went black.


	15. Reunion

**Chapter fifteen!**

**This marks the end of the first game. The message in the bottle is from the original story.**

**I do not own either Umineko or Naruto.**

A flock of white seagulls rose on the mid-morning currents of warm air as they flew over the sea. The water was calm and reflected the blemish free cerulean skies above them. A cool but gently breeze ruffled an old fishing net as its owners tugged it onto the shore of the mainland. One of them looked up. Far away, the dull and hazy silhouette of Rokkenjima Island rose about the crests of the small waves that played about the horizon.

There was a sharp 'chink' of glass from within the net. The first fisherman looked at his colleague and shrugged, as he reached his arm into the net, past the struggling silver fish, to remove whatever it was.

"Probably just an empty bottle again." He said.

Sure enough, his stout fingers closed around a small glass bottle.

"What did I tell you?" He said to his companion, as he made to throw it away.

"Hey, wait!" Cried the second, smaller fisherman.

He snatched the bottle from the other man's hand, and looked carefully at it.

"As I thought. There's something inside here!" He exclaimed.

The second fisherman swung the bottle, and it smashed against the rock on which he sat. He pulled a damp note out of the shards of glass.

"What does it say?" Asked the first fisherman, curiously.

"_By the time you read this, I will probably be dead. Although there may or may not be a corpse. Whoever reads this, please reveal the truth. That's all I desire. Hanabi Hyuuga."_

Bright sunlight poured through the open window of the mansion. There came the brittle sound of a teacup being set upon its saucer, as Neji placed it upon the table. Deidara leaned back in his armchair with a sigh, his eyes closed in momentary relaxation.

"Pheooow…" He said with a smile, "What a pain in the neck…it was all over before I had a chance to even think!"

"So what happened?" Neji said, sitting up straight on the sofa next to Hanabi, "We reached the end of our time limit before working out the riddle and got a bad ending?"

"Hehehe!" Laughed Hanabi, "A really bad ending!"

"You're right…" Kakashi said, looking softly at the little girl, "We were all so busy trying to find out the culprit, that we forgot about the riddle and the gold that we were supposed to be finding."

"That's true."

Deidara looked around to see Hinata walk up behind him, her own teacup in her hand. She sat down in the armchair next to Kakashi.

"If we had actually done what the letter had instructed, it might have come to a different conclusion."

"But still, what happened to you was so horrible, Hinata…" Neji said quietly.

"Yeah! Half of your face was smashed in!" Piped up Hanabi.

"That was just the part I had to play, there was no getting around it." Hinata said with a small but sad smile.

"However, it appears that you all had a pretty gruesome end too, didn't you?" Sasori said his face emotionless as he walked towards the group and sat down in another armchair next to Deidara.

Kakashi laughed.

"It seems you're right…"

"I thought that your death was the coolest, Danna, un!" Deidara said, looking at his partner with a smile, "Even though you knew you were falling to pieces, you still put up a fight!"

"Yes, thank you Deidara…but in the end, I was just as useless as you." Sasori muttered, as Deidara looked murderous.

"I know, but Sasori's death gave all some vital information, right?" Hinata said nervously as she put down her cup.

"Exactly." Continued Neji, "At that point, we knew the location of everyone in the building. As a result, we can deduce that only a nineteenth person could have been the culprit."

"I've always said that it was Beatrice!" Hanabi said, looking up at them all from her tea.

"I don't like to admit this…" Neji said, looking down at his lap, "But it seems I must acknowledge that this witch, with powers that none of us could understand, Beatrice really does exist."

"That's true." Hinata replied, "My of the events that happened could not have been done by an ordinary human."

"Yes. Beatrice does exist." Sasori confirmed.

"I agree that all of those crimes were indeed, impossible for humans to commit. Only a powerful witch could have committed them." Said Kakashi, looking up at Hinata.

"So, we are clear on that fact; the culprit was the witch, Beatrice, after all." Neji added.

"You all believe!" Hanabi said, beaming.

"Hang on a minute!" Deidara said, his face becoming confused and angry once more. He stood up out of his seat and looked around at them all.

"Why have you all just stopped thinking? Why do you all just believe so strongly that a witch did all of this? This is ridiculous!" He sneered.

"But, Deidara…" Neji began, "No human could have done what Beatrice did."

"I don't understand, Deidara…" Sasori hissed dangerously.

"No, you don't!" Deidara shouted at him, turning and looking at his partner, "I can't prove this now but, what I can say is that those crimes were definitely committed by a human! Witches do not exist!"

"Deidara, what you're saying doesn't make sense!" Kakashi said, "Are you saying that you believe something so improbable, even though you have no evidence?"

"There's one thing that I know doesn't make sense!" Deidara said, "And that is that a witch did these things! Have you all gone mad?"

"But Deidara…" Said Hanabi, "All we're saying is that these crimes were impossible for a human to commit, therefore, a witch must have done them! So…you are instead accusing one of us? One of the eighteen original people?"

"Look…no...I just meant that we can't assume that a nineteenth person does not exist!" He countered, looking flustered.

"I...I don't know what you mean…Deidara…" Hanabi replied.

"Look." Deidara said, looking at the floor. "I just want to find the culprit who killed so many people, so horribly. I'll never forgive whoever they are! In acknowledging magic and witches, you've just surrendered! Isn't that just what the killer would want you to do?"

"Kihihihi!" Laughed Hanabi, that sick and disturbing smile once more etched into her otherwise endearing face, "Looks like you are the only one who won't believe…"

"What? So a lie that everyone believes will just become the truth? No, I refuse. Witches don't exist!" Deidara said with a smile as he shook his head. Deidara's mind rejected the idea of a witch completely. He believed in some things. For one, his art was the truest thing he possessed. It had meaning. Witches did not. A 'witch' had stolen his art from him. He could never acknowledge that. Never.

"Why?" Hanabi asked, looking innocently up at him.

"If you want me to accept that witches exist, there is a simple way of doing so." Deidara said, closing his eyes with a smile.

"All you have to do is show this 'witch' you are talking about. Then I'll believe this ridiculous story."

"But…!" Hinata cried.

"That's ludicrous!" Sasori exclaimed.

Hanabi narrowed her eyes at Deidara.

"What? Why is it ludicrous?" Grinned Deidara, triumphant.

Suddenly, there came a sound light a bolt of lightening, even though the sky outside was clear and was only covered in a thin layer of grey cloud. The room dimmed, and the lamp flickered…..and then died. Far off in the great house, the light illuminated the painting of Beatrice and the numerous holes left by shuriken in the woman's chest.

A single shimmering form fluttered over Deidara's shoulder.

At that moment, Deidara spun around, and gasped as out of nowhere, Beatrice the Golden Witch irrupted out of a flock of more shining butterflies right before his eyes.

A malicious smile was plastered on her perfect lips, a non existent breeze ruffling the loose bangs of her perfect tied-up hair, her perfect blue eyes narrowed with cruelty and victory.

Deidara's mouth dropped open. She was far taller than he was. He took a step backwards, and tripped over the small tea-table, falling flat on his back. The beautiful woman walked slowly towards him, her floor length gown rustling on the carpet, and leant down towards him.

"It's been a while since I met such a charming human." She spoke softly.

"Who….who are you?" said Deidara, finding words at last.

"Don't you even know the host of this little reunion at which you are present?" She asked with another smile as she stood up straight.

Sasori closed his eyes.

"This is the Golden witch Beatrice, who had lived over a thousand years."

Hinata dropped into a curtsey.

"What an honour…Beatrice…" She said quietly.

"B – Beatrice…?" Deidara stammered. He leant up from his position on the floor, looking up at the magnificent woman before him, his eyes wide.


	16. Deny the Truth

**Whoa, chapter sixteen already?**

**Enjoy and review!**

**I do not own Naruto or Umineko!**

"Please," Said Kakashi, "You must forgive Deidara…for his…thick head."

Deidara wanted to be angry at this, wanted to get up off of the floor and shout at Kakashi for insulting him, but was hypnotised by the red and black clad woman in front of his, who was regarding him with a look of triumph.

"For Beatrice to appear in front of you…" Said Hanabi happily, looking once more like the innocent young child that she was, "It is a great honour, Deidara!"

"Please, Beatrice, Deidara does not understand the situation at the moment." Sasori said silkily. Deidara looked at his partner in surprise. Sasori never said 'please' like that to anyone.

"No matter…" Said the magnificent woman, "most witches such as myself get bored after a thousand years in this world…it's a pleasure to meet a man with a backbone once in a while…"

In one hand, Beatrice held a long, thin golden pipe, which she continuously twirled around her slender fingers. Her other hand rested on her hip as she looked down at Deidara.

Suddenly, Deidara gave a small laughed from where he sat on the carpet. His eyes were wide with show and sweat ran down his face, but he had not yet given in.

"Heh heh…this is….a bit of a surprise...un…" He said, so quiet that it was hard to hear him, "I see…you really want me to quit thinking and believe that this nineteenth person…this witch really does exist eh? Well…this keeps getting better and better."

Deidara grunted as he struggled to his feet. He grinned, his eyes narrowed as he stepped back and pointed at Beatrice, his voice rising dramatically.

"Because, I finally understand. You're not Beatrice. You are the illusion of Beatrice, and only when all of us believe in you will you finally exist! That's why you need me to exist too, right? That's why we are all here! You will never exist if I refuse to believe in you! Am I correct?" He yelled.

Beatrice's smile didn't falter.

"For a mere commoner with little knowledge in my field, you have quite a decent understand of how my magic works, I see. You also appear to have a rather high resistance to magic as well. You are the natural rival of witches like myself. I see that you never believe in us, no matter what I do."

She closed her eyes.

"I'm starting to like you more and more." She said in a low voice.

"You're a perfect waste of my time…I can't wait to watch you suffer as I force you to acknowledge me…this should be fun." She laughed. Her laughter started off melodic and beautiful, seductive. However, it soon became hysterical and inelegant.

"No. In order to deny you, witch, I'll explain everything that happened with human means! I promise I'll show you that no magic can exist in this world!" Deidara snarled, balling his hands into fists.

"Oh?" Beatrice said. "Then explain this." She twirled the golden pipe as she laughed.

"The corpses in the storehouse, the letter given to Hanabi, the deaths of Konan and Pein in the locked room, the letter in the library, the bodies in the drawing room, the 'suicide' of Tenten….and finally, the fates of everyone in this room!"

Suddenly, Hinata stumbled forwards with a cry. A scarlet tear trickled down her cheek. She lurched forward onto her knees a few feet from Deidara, clutching her hands to her face. At the same time, Sasori gasped, and clapped his hands to the heart component in his yes, his eyes wide. Blood was oozing out from between Hinata's fingers, running down her arm and dripping onto the floor. He could hear her horrible gurgling sobs from behind her hands. Sasori was breathing heavily as purple fluid flowed over his fingers and soaked through his cloak, staining the sofa.

All of a sudden, Hinata threw her head back and screamed, as the side of her face exploded. Blood flew in all directions as she fell backwards. Her body dissolved into a pool of blood as Deidara watched, horrified. True, it was very artistic, but Deidara wasn't worrying about that right now. Meanwhile, Sasori had got to his feet and gasped, as his purple life-blood spurted from his chest and he too collapsed and his body disappeared.

Deidara was breathing heavily now, as he looked up at Neji and Kakashi. They looked back at him, as they two began to crumble and disappear before his eyes into pools of blood that splattered the carpet, the sofas and the walls. Hanabi was the last to go, but as she too faded away, Deidara heard her saying:

"Kihihihihi! Deidara…you didn't believe…and now the magic had been broken…you didn't believe…" Before she was gone.

"_Deidara…" _

"Tenten!" Deidara yelled. He could have sworn he had heard her, for a second…!

Deidara was alone with Beatrice in the room, along with five large blood stains.

"I…I DON'T BELIVE IN THIS CRAP!" He yelled, bringing both of his hands to his head, screwing up his eyes.

"This isn't happening! I can't be happening! I'll find out what's going on here, and I'll prove that none of this exists, Beatrice!"

"How…amusing…" Beatrice said, looking at him with an elegant smugness on her beautiful face, "Then come, Deidara. Show me your human magic then!"

"No matter what you do, I'll always deny your existence! I'll explain everything by human means! I'll erase you from this world!" Deidara bellowed.

Beatrice's grin intensified.

The richly coloured tea reflected Lady Bernkastel's face back up at her as she sat in the ornate padded seat. She put the cup down, and looked up. The sterile white light that shone through the beautiful tall windows on every wall illuminated her pale face, and her violet eyes, making her look colder and more emotionless than ever. She sat alone in the tower room as she stared at the swirling liquid in her teacup.

"Beatrice…that was quick…or…not?" She said slowly, looking up as a golden butterfly fluttered past her left ear. Lady Bernkastel's feline tail twitched on her seat beside her.

Beatrice materialised from a cloud of butterflies that dispersed as she stepped towards the witch of miracles. Her face was smiling, and yet contained a slight look of irritation.

"Where is Lady Lambdadelta? There has been a slight…complication." She said.

Lady Bernkastel let the slightest of smiles grace her lips.

"I saw. One of the mortals I see refused to acknowledge you, and you challenged him to a game apparently, yes?"

Beatrice nodded.

"How amusing…a game within a game. Perhaps I will stay and watch this one." Bernkastel mused, looking out of the window at the featureless whiteness that lay outside.

Beatrice stepped elegantly over to Bernkastel, and sat down in one of the beautiful armchairs next to the mauve haired witch.

"No matter. I will torture this pathetic human until he acknowledges my existence, and then I will regain my true powers and existence that I forfeited in order to play thus game, and beat Lady Lambdadelta. And then, I will surpass her, and become the second greatest witch."

"You will not succeed, Beatrice." Bernkastel said disinterestedly, "Even I, the witch of miracles would not fare well against Lambdadelta, the witch of certainty who can kill anyone absolutely with her powers…"

"And yet…this cruel and all-powerful witch capable of murder without fail was taken out by you in a game not so long ago, leaving you to be the most dominant witch in existence." Beatrice said, her eyes closed.

"It was merely a game of endurance. Lambdadelta grew tired and dropped out."

"Even so, I am greatly honoured for you to be observing my little amusement, Lady of Miracles."

Beatrice closed her eyes, and stood up from her seat.

"Very well." Beatrice sighed. "I will quickly finish off this human challenger, and then the game will be mine. Goodbye for now, Bernkastel."

Beatrice disappeared, dissolving into her trademark cloud of glowing butterflies, before the coldly lit room was silent once more, as Lady Bernkastel reached out for her tea.

"Beatrice…" Murmured the witch as she lifted the cup once more.

"Boredom is the poison that kills all witches in the end…I feel a slight pity for your human opponent. Perhaps…I will do more than observe this game…"

She took a sip and rested the teacup on her lap delicately.

"Beatrice, do not get the wrong idea…I am capable of making you surrender, I could torture anyone infinitely.…I am the cruellest witch."


	17. Forbidden Desire

**Chapter seventeen!**

**Thus begins the second game. If anyone is confused, this goes back to before the incident.**

**I own neither Naruto nor Umineko no Naku Koro Ni.**

One year before the Rokkenjima incident.

A grasshopper was singing loudly in the tall blades of summer grass that hid Tenten as she lay on her stomach, kunai in hand. Her soft brown eyes were full of concentration.

She made no sound or movement as she observed what was going on in front of her. Two Akatsuki members were walking through the dense forest in her line of sight, bickering.

One was taller, with flowing golden blonde hair that was swept up into a pony-tail, with a long fringe that covered half of his face. The other was even taller, but she couldn't make out any of his face because it was covered in a bright orange mask, decorated with some sort of vortex pattern.

Tenten scowled as she inched nearer. This mission was ridiculous. Tsunade had sent her to tail these Akatsuki members and report back to the village with information at least a month ago. Sure, it was a long-term assignment, but she missed the companionship of her team mates. She missed Neji and Lee, and even, although she hated to admit it, Guy-sensei. In any case, the only people she had seen for over three days now were the two before her, as they had been avoiding towns and villages.

She had to admit, if she was able to, she would have laughed at them at some points. The way they fought, and the taller one teased the blonde constantly, annoying him like a small child had made her smile more times than she cared to remember. Then there was the one called Deidara.

He was serious, but wasn't allergic to laughing, like Neji. His jutsu meant everything to him, from what she had seen, and she could relate to that, being almightily proud of her weapons and how she wielded them all, knew all of their names and weakness. Plus, she had begun to notice that he was really quite attractive…for an S-ranked criminal…

She shook her head to clear it of these stupid thoughts, taking care to stay silent where she lay.

Ah hell…she was falling for an Akatsuki member. She pulled herself back to reality long enough to notice that her quarry had vanished.

Tenten looked around wildly, and stood noiselessly to her feet.

"You're quite the stealthy one, un?" Came a voice from behind her.

Tenten whirled around, weapons in hand. Deidara closed the distance between them swiftly. He looked right into Tenten's eyes with a look that gave the girl the impression that he could read her like a book.

Six months before the Rokkenjima incident.

The lightening lashed the sky like a whip, the wind shrieking at the tossing sea. Tenten gritted her teeth as she climbed up the slippery steps that had been cut into the bare rocks. Wind had pulled her normally neat hair out of her buns, and rain had plastered to her face.

She cried out as she slipped, digging her kunai into the ground to stop herself falling. The tiny rocky outcrop of Rokkenjima island stuck out of the boiling sea as the violent weather danced around it, lightening illuminating Tenten's fragile looking figure approaching the top.

She was panting heavily, and tears threatened to well up in her eyes, that were full of pain but determination as well. She finally found what she had been looking for. On a weathered chunk of marble, a small mirror was secured. It was very ornate and Latin engraving was carved into the rim. It stood under a scarlet arch, into which more scratches and sentences had been written. Tenten hesitated, and took hold of the mirror delicately.

"Is this what you wanted me to find…?" She asked no-one in particular.

"If I smash this…I'll be able to shatter my fate." She whispered, more in reassurance to herself than anything.

She looked left and then right to check that no-one was watching. Then, she raised the fragile object above her head, and threw it down at the rock floor. It mashed into hundreds of pieces, and she put an arm up to her face so that none of the fragments could hurt her eyes. For a second, the thunder was quiet.

Tenten closed her eyes, and threw back her sodden head.

"I have kept up my end of our deal! Now, it is time that you gave me what you promised! Beatrice!" She yelled into the storm.

Nine months before the Rokkenjima incident.

Tenten stood in the middle of a circle of tall pine trees, watching Deidara walk away from her again. For the past month, they had been meeting in secret like this, and just talk together, or visit towns and eat together, or simply walk through the forest, not speaking, simply enjoying each other's presence. It was an escape for both of them, Tenten from the rigorous training that she had to keep up with, and Deidara the constant stream of missions that he was being assigned of late.

On this particular autumn afternoon, they had spent their brief time together one of the small seaside towns on the coast, far away from their respective roles where no-one knew who or what they were. Then, they had left and walked for a little into the woods, before they had parted ways in the pine grove. Tenten sighed, and walked back towards the sea, hearing it beating the cliffs that marked the edge of the forest and the start of the ocean.

Tenten walked towards the portrait of Beatrice, her head hung low in sadness. She had known this place, this mansion on the secluded island, for many years. She knew of the witch as well. She stopped, and looked up at the painted woman's expressionless face.

"Beatrice…I know…that I'm just a sorry human to you. I know that thanks to your magic, I am not even completely human any more." She said quietly.

"But…why? When you saved me that day, why did you allow me to keep my heart, when you took away everything else from me? Why do I feel the pain of love? I am a shinobi…my emotions shouldn't dictate what I do…I shouldn't have a heart." She said, her voice trembling.

A small noise interrupted the monotonous ticking of the clock. It was a soft whistling, singing, ringing sound. Golden butterflies were swirling around the room as Tenten turned quickly. Suddenly, a woman's voice began to speak.

"Since humans have existed…they have always had one fatal flaw…" said the voice.

Suddenly, the butterflies converged on one spot, and out of the glowing mass, appeared the witch.

"B-Beatrice?" Tenten breathed.

"Yes," Said the witch, "I am Beatrice. I see, your problems are all down to love. You have learned of love, breaking the rules of a shinobi. Know…I can grant your wish with my power…"

The woman grinned.

"I can promise to bring you and the one you love together. I have but one request in exchange." She said.

Tenten's eyes lit up.

"There is a shrine, to the east of the island upon a small rocky out crop of land that is not attached to the main part of Rokkenjima." The witch continued.

"Inside the shrine lies a small mirror. I want you to smash it for me. To tell the truth, this mirror constricts my power. Once it is gone, they will return and I will grant your request.

"I…I will not." Tenten said quietly.

"I see…why might that be?" Beatrice said, her smile widening.

"Nothing…except….I know this island has always been peaceful. The people have lived happily here for years and years…If I leave this mirror, this should continue that way. However, I have no knowing of what might happen if I do carry out your request, and you regain your power."

"I see…" Beatrice said again.

"You! Leave Tenten alone!" Came a voice from behind Beatrice. Kiba was running towards them.

"Kiba!" Tenten cried.

"And what is this?" The witch laughed, advancing on Kiba, her golden pipe raised.

"No!" Shouted Tenten, "Leave him…he doesn't understand!"

"Very well. I am gracious to those who respect me…" Said Beatrice, stopping in her tracks. She suddenly threw something at Tenten, who caught whatever it was skilfully. It was a beautiful hair-clip, pure gold and in the shape of a butterfly.

"Take this. As long as you have it, I will always be ready to carry out my promise as soon as you carry out yours. You'll see things differently…in time."

The witch gave a laugh that made Tenten shiver, before disappearing into a golden flock of butterflies. Soon, everything was silent except for the ticking of the clock once more.

"Tenten, what was all that about?" Kiba asked.


	18. The Sowing

**Chapter eighteen.**

**Most of Beato's speech at the end is from the original.**

**And now, it all begins again…**

**I do not own Naruto or Umineko.**

Two days before the Rokkenjima incident.

Tenten sat on rocks of Rokkenjima Island, the loose bits of her dark hair waving slightly in the breeze. The sky was azure, and seagulls argued amongst each other as Tenten watched the clouds float across the sky. She snorted with laughter as she remembered that this was what Shikamaru was meant to do, not her!

Tenten turned around to face her companion, sitting up straight, and smiling.

Beatrice sat beside her, in an elaborately embellished garden seat behind a matching table that was decorated with butterfly designs. The witch was watching her carefully. Tenten suddenly found herself laughing, but put up a hand to stifle the noise.

"What are you laughing at?" Said Beatrice imperiously.

"Nothing…" Tenten said, as she looked at the beautiful woman who was staring at her.

Tenten suddenly looked as if she had remembered something, and put her hand into the pocket of her trousers, pulling out a golden butterfly hair-clip, and handing it to the witch, a smile on her face.

"You need not return it." Beatrice said dismissively, and moved to give it back, "It will ensure that your relationship remains safe and hidden."

Tenten shook her head and Beatrice looked at her curiously.

"No…even though it may have been magic that helped us remain hidden from our superiors, I want it to be us both who put in the effort to make this last. But thank you, Beatrice." She said quietly.

"You are welcome." The witch said with a smile, "There are not many who feel thankful towards me once I have granted their wishes. Only you and Kiba can see me on this island."

"But, I thought that your previous master, you know, the one who used to live on this island, you appeared to him before and gave him the gold, didn't you?" Tenten asked enquiringly.

"He was a fool. I appeared merely as a respite from the great boredom I had been feeling. However, I let my guard down, and he managed to seal me here."

"Was that…the mirror I smashed?" Tenten asked.

"Yes…that kept me tied to this island for a long time." Said Beatrice.

The pair looked out at the sea, watching the sun sink beyond the horizon.

"As the light leaves the world…the ocean becomes a grey puddle once more." Beatrice observed.

"You think so? It always looks beautiful and blue and rich to me, even when it rains." Tenten said to herself quietly.

"And doesn't that just show how you become more human each day, no?" Beatrice smirked from her seat as she watched Tenten smile awkwardly.

The cave was lit only by the smouldering embers of the fire as Tenten returned. Kiba looked up at her as she entered his eyes cold and stern. He had been that way ever since they had arrived on Rokkenjima, the place reawakening old memories that he had hidden deep inside himself. They were here because of Tsunade. She had known the Akatsuki were seeking a possible Bijuu on this island, so the two had been sent to spy on the enemy, and then meet up half way with the rest of the Konoha squad and give information. This had been convenient seeing as Tenten had been tailing Akatsuki for some time anyway, so knew how to hide from them. It had also allowed her to meet with Deidara more often than usual.

"Where have you been?" He asked severely.

Tenten sat down next to him by the dying fire, and pulled over her sleeping bag. She warmed her hands close to the glowing embers, but didn't reply to him.

"You've been talking with her again haven't you? Beatrice." Neji said, turning his face away from her and looking at the fire.

"Yes Neji, I have but…"

"I don't trust that woman Tenten! She's trying to trick you. I don't know what deal you've made with her but she's just going to rip your heart into pieces like she does with everyone she meets. I know that she saved us all those years ago, but that was only on a whim, to ease her boredom! What if she lets the Akatsuki know that we're here? She's playing with you and I don't want to see you hurt by her." Neji said, trying to control is voice.

Tenten looked sadly at him, and then out of the cave in which they were camping to the sea beyond, hard to make out against the dark night's sky.

"Kiba…what does the sea look like to you?" She asked.

"All I see is blackness out there." He replied.

"That is why you don't understand." Tenten said, "Because I can see blue. Deep rich blue full of colour and life, even in the darkness. Beatrice said that I was becoming human, and I believe her."

Tenten sighed, giving her comrade a sad smile, before she rolled over onto her side and closed her eyes.

Two hours later, Kiba stealthily walked through the dark corridor of the mansion, Akumaru padding along silently at his side. He had been checking their supply packs, and was greatly irritated to notice that Akumaru had seemed to have found a way to open air-tight containers, mainly crushing them. This had lead him to the conclusion that if they went without supplies until the rest of the squad arrived, it would probably be a bad idea, especially regarding how unhappy and grumpy Akumaru became when deprived of food. As a result, Kiba had snuck into the great house in which he knew the Akatsuki were staying, and down to the thankfully deserted kitchen, taking as much food as he could. He was almost out of the house, as he heard a voice from the main hallway…whoever it was sounded desperate.

Kiba crept over to listen. Luckily, whoever it was hat their back to him and didn't notice his approach.

"Beatrice!"

"You madden me so…" Lamented a low voice, sounding so distraught and full of emotion that Kiba was temporarily stunned.

"You madden me with love and with power…why won't you appear to me? Will you never answer me? One who is not maddened by you is not human…and yet you torture me like this!"

Kiba realised with shock that the Akatsuki member was weeping. His head was bowed and arms were raised above his head in front of Beatrice's painted portrait. The unmoving woman in the picture's smile seemed to be full of mocking and cold mirth.

Kiba quickly left the building, glad to not be intercepted by the enemy. He thought it was strange that none of them had sensed his chakra…

As he walked silently under the dense cover of the forest, heading back to their camp in the cave by the beach, his mind ran back to the memories before he left Konohagakure. Precisely the moment that they did leave.

Hinata had stood under the huge gateway that led into the village, as timid and nervous looking as she always was. Kiba had paced towards her, Akumaru at him side. Tenten was at that moment talking with Tsunade, so she was not nearby. Hinata spotted him and stepped over to him.

"I…wanted to say goodbye before you left, Kiba." She stammered, blushing slightly.

"Hinata, is something the matter?" He asked concernedly.

"No! I just…wanted to thank you for yesterday, training with me when you had such an important mission the next day, it was really kind of you."

Kiba closed his eyes.

"I am glad." He said quietly.

"Kiba is something wrong?" Hinata suddenly asked, "You've been acting really strange lately…you seem so serious, you remind me of Shino!"

"It's nothing. I've just had a lot on my mind…" He said. What he didn't tell her was that the reason for this was at the mention of this new assignment, all of his old memories had flooded back to him, memories he thought he had cast away for good. He thought he had adjusted to this life in Konoha, had put the past behind him….could finally be human…be with someone. At the return of these memories, the façade he had built up, the happy, smiley, annoying and sometimes stupid Kiba that everyone knew had slowly dropped away from him

"You are lucky, Hinata." He said with a smile. "You can be who you want to be, when you want. I envy you…I cannot because I am…not like you." He wanted to add, 'because I am not human'.

"What are you talking about? Kiba, you've always been the smiles and jokes and the funny one in our group! What happened to you?" She stammered.

"Nothing, I…"

"Kiba!" Tenten called, "Lady Tsunade wants us to leave now! Are you coming?"

"Bye…Hinata." Kiba said.

Hinata suddenly made a move forward and touched his hand softly, her big pale eyes full of anxiety for him. He pulled his hand away and ran after Tenten, leaving her to watch as he slowly disappeared into the distance.

Kiba shook his head as he returned to the present, the night air jolting him back to his senses. He was some way from the mansion now, out of sight even if he stood in the open gardens. Akumaru whined at him, nudging him with his big snout. Kiba couldn't get her out of his head, her face as he left her standing there…

Suddenly, he looked up as a sound alerted him. A faint whistling, singing sound. He ground his teeth.

"Aaaw…what a pity…" Said the witch as she appeared out of a cloud of butterflies before Kiba.

"I thought you had something there with that girl…" Beatrice laughed.

"Get out of my head!" Yelled Kiba at her, his eyes wide in horror that she had been rifling through his thoughts.

"You can't help me. I don't have feelings like humans. You can't create love. You just play with peoples emotions and give them false hope!" He continued, staring at the witch, his face full of absolute hate.

"Get out of here, witch!" He spat.

"You cannot halt my magic, my power…" Said Beatrice silkily, her voice dangerous and smooth.

"You know that I shall soon revive, and reclaim my right as the true mistress of this Island! The door to the golden land will soon open once more! KYAHAHAHA!"

Her laugh should have been elegant, but coupled with her triumphant yet crazed features and her eyes that where too wide, and fixed on Kiba, it sounded more like it belonged to a madwoman.

Kiba stepped back, ready to defend himself, but the witch vanished as suddenly as she appeared. Kiba sighed, and made his way back to cave. Once inside, he wrapped himself in his sleeping bag next to Akumaru, and tried to sleep.

'_I have sown three seeds of love…I do look forward to seeing how they will bear fruit! Golden butterflies will alight upon the juices of over ripe and rotten fruit that have fallen to the ground. I can't wait for the day of harvest to come! Is it time for the banquet yet? The pieces for the second game are set…let it begin! Kehehehahaha!'_


	19. The Demon Inside

**Chapter nineteen.**

**Please, if you haven't seen Umineko, don't worry if you get confused. All does more or less get explained!**

**I do not own Umineko no Naku Koro Ni or Naruto!**

Their footsteps slapped against the water as they walked above it, the seagulls above them squabbling loudly together as usual. The eight Konoha nin could see the island's silhouette ahead of them, looming forebodingly on the horizon. Tenten and Kiba had joined them before they left the mainland, and at the moment Tenten was rapidly transferring all of the intelligence she had gathered to Kakashi. Hanabi was singing quietly as she walked beside Neji, occasionally slipping though the surface of the water with a squeal. Kiba had avoided Hinata's eye for most of the journey, afraid of what he might say or how she felt.

Suddenly, Hanabi slipped for the fifth time with an almighty plash, and dropped something into the water before she was helped up by Neji. She gasped and pulled away from him, running back to the spot through which she had fallen.

"No! I dropped it! I dropped it!" She cried, reaching under the water.

"Neji, Neji! I dropped it; can you help me find it?" She looked at Neji with big round eyes.

"What was it?" Neji asked sternly, his gaze harsh and strained from days of travel.

"My supplies mama made for me! They sank…"

"Hanabi, father only promised that you could accompany us for training if you were mature and acted your age. Grow up." Neji dismissed, walking away to join the others.

"No! Mama made them especially for me! And now they're gone! Neji, get it back for me!" She cried.

Hanabi stopped and tears welled up in her eyes. She began to cry. The others looked around, surprised at her. Hanabi was usually so sensible and level-headed.

"Hanabi stop that!" Commanded Neji, "The enemy might hear us!"

The girl cried harder.

"I said stop it!" Neji repeated.

The girl took no notice. Neji ground him teeth and strode over to her. Suddenly, he raised his hand and struck her across the face, his eyes wide. Everybody was taken aback, and Hinata stepped forwards.

"Neji, don't do that! She's just a kid!" She said.

Neji hit her again. Hanabi stopped wailing and began to just sob quietly. Neji straightened up and walked back to join the others. He suddenly looked ashamed of himself, and raising his hand to his eyes, gazing at the red area where he had hit his cousin.

"She needs o grow up and quit acting so childish. It's for her own good." He said before walking away in front.

The group regarded him silently before continuing their pace as well, Hanabi trotting along behind, still snivelling slightly.

Meanwhile, Pein stood looking out over the gardens and sea beyond through the tall arched window in front of him. His gaze was expressionless, but Konan seemed to be able to read him as she approached. Although Pein could see nothing conspicuous below, he knew that the Konoha nin were approaching. _She _had told him.

Konan drew along side him and looked up at his face.

"Pein…is everything set up?" She asked.

"It is." He replied.

A few rooms away, in the library, another figure was looking out of the window. He spread his arms wide; the black and red robes rustling as he did so, and grinned as he watched the sky steadily become more overcast.

"Beatrice, it is time." He said, "They will soon all be here, and then your revival can begin. Who will be lucky this time? I may among the sacrifices, but it is worth it for you my dear…now come, Beatrice!"

At that moment, the Leaf ninja had reached the shore. As they moved like ghosts through the dense forest (Hanabi had finally fallen silent) they looked around at all angles so they could check they weren't being followed.

"So, Hanabi, what have you learnt so far?" Kakashi asked her kindly as they walked.

"That I might see Beatrice!" The girl said excitedly.

"And who is that, may I ask?" Neji scoffed.

"The witch! Tenten told me she had seen her here!"

Tenten looked sheepish.

"I only told her a story to keep her quiet…" She said.

Hanabi smiled as she timidly fiddled with the Hyuuga pendant that hung around her neck. In her hand she held something.

"What is that?" Neji asked.

"It's my good luck charm! I bought it to help us, before we left."

Neji looked disapprovingly at the roughly made charm in her hand, a little wooden butterfly.

Suddenly, the scene turned grey and colourless, the figures, even the leaves and dust drifting in the wind and the restless ocean, were frozen in time. A glowing golden shape, the only colour in this single paused moment, fluttered by. Suddenly, two figures appeared out of thin air in a flock of more shimmering gold butterflies that quickly dispersed.

Beatrice watched with amusement as Deidara stared at a drop of water that was unmoving in mid-air.

"Now, all of the pieces have been set." Beatrice said, "Let us begin the second game."

"No matter what you do, I will deny you. I will never acknowledge you." Deidara said, his arms crossed, "As long as I stand by that, I cannot lose!"

"Until you lose and acknowledge me, these games will repeat infinitely…" Beatrice spoke softly, her lips creased in a wide smile.

"In other words…I will continue to torture you like this until you believe in the existence of witches."

"That's not true…" Deidara said, "It is I who shall torture you! I will deny anything you throw at me, until you surrender!"

"Then shall we commence torturing each other…Deidara?" Beatrice grinned, her eyes dark.

The pair disappeared once more, back to that white tower room to observe the game unfolding, as colour and movement returned the world.

Kakashi stopped the group, turning around to face them.

"There is something you need to know…before we begin our mission." He began, looking at Tenten who nodded curtly at him.

"I need to let you know…that whilst on this mission we will be unable too use our chakra." He said, closing his eyes.

Immediately the other's eyes widened and they looked at their hands in disbelief.

"I know it's hard to take in, but from what Tenten has told us, there is something on this island that makes us unable to manipulate chakra. Now, apparently, the Akatsuki have also lost this ability, which actually works out as an advantage for us, seeing as most of us are highly adept at taijutsu that does not require the use of chakra."

The party fell silent, except for Lee who was grinning like an idiot.

"So…what do we do now?" Asked Hinata timidly.

"I..." Kakashi began, but was distracted by something above him.

They all looked up, so see a small object fly towards them. The dappled light that filtered through the leaves above them made it hard to make out. It was a small origami crane, flapping its paper wings lazily, carried by the breeze. It alighted in Kakashi's hand. He unfolded it quickly, smoothing out the pure white paper.

"Leaf Ninja, we have learned of your arrival. Please do not attempt to hide from us. We also know that like us you have lost all chakra control and abilities. We send this as a sign of temporary truce. Come to the mansion in the centre of the island to negotiate. We will not attack you if you do not attack us. Akatsuki."

The group looked at the note incredulously, and Kakashi reread it several times to confirm what it had said.

"I recommend that we comply with the demand." Shikamaru suggested, as everyone turned to face him.

"We don't know much about the island other than what Tenten and Kiba have told us, and it sounds like they mean peace for now. Anyway, we have the taijutsu advantage, not to mention that fact that through meeting with the, we might gain some clues as to what to do next."

Kakashi nodded.

"Unfortunately, I have to agree with you there, Shikamaru." He said.

"Then it's settled. We head towards the large mansion they mention in the letter, and go from there then." Neji confirmed.

The party nodded one in agreement, and set off through the forest, following the path. Soon, the dark trunks of the trees became thinner and further apart, until the forest gave way to the immense gardens of the great house. Tenten looked around at the familiar overgrown roses, the bindweed that strangled the shrubbery and the marble domed area in the centre of the garden, feeling a little bit of déjà vu. Of course, she knew where it was from.

They stood still for a moment as they reached the cracked grey stone steps that led up to the mansion, its ominous figure instilling a feeling of foreboding in almost all of them. Kakashi looked at Hanabi.

"Hanabi, stay quiet and behind us. We don't want you to get hurt, okay?"

Hanabi nodded.

"Don't worry! Beatrice…"

"That's enough of that nonsense." Neji cut in.

"Kakashi, you and the others can go ahead without us, we'll be a minute." He added.

Kakashi hesitated before nodded, and disappearing into the grand house with the others.

Neji turned to his younger cousin as soon as the rest of the group had left, and slapped her twice, once on each cheek. Hanabi squeaked each time in pain.

"Didn't I tell you to shut up with this witch nonsense? What's gotten into you? Why can't you grow up?" He said severely at her.

"You're nine years old! You shouldn't be babbling such trash like this! I even gave you all of my supplies to shut you up when you lost yours!"

By now, Neji had seized her hair and was shouting into her face.

Suddenly Neji snatched the butterfly charm out of the girls hand, threw it to the floor, and stamped on it. Hanabi cried out as she heard it crack and splinter under her cousin's foot.

"I want you to stay right here! You here me? Don't move until I come back. This is your punishment."

Neji turned away and strode off towards the house, his eyes stern and as uncompassionate as they always were, as he left the sobbing girl behind him.

Hanabi sniffed as she knelt down beside the smashed good-luck charm, pearly tears running down her cheeks, red from where she had been struck.


	20. The Nineteenth Piece

**Chapter twenty!**

**Whoa, I didn't think I'd actually get this far!**

**I do not own Umineko or Naruto.**

The drawing room was silent, even though all seven of the Leaf ninja and all of the Akatsuki were gathered there. It was as though there was an invisible wall separating them, the Konaha nin on one side, The Akatsuki members keeping to themselves on the other side. Half an hour had passed, the only conversation between Pein and Kakashi. Tenten caught Deidara's eye briefly. He grinned at her. She quickly looked away, her own face devoid of emotion. She didn't want her comrades to know, not yet.

"I trust you read the note?" Pein said, his voice deep and imperious.

"Of course. Am I to understand you wish to form a temporary truce with us?" Kakashi replied.

"Yes. For now, we acknowledge that we are at a disadvantage, but the same goes for you. Will you cooperate until we learn how to obtain our chakra again?"

"We will, but only on the agreement that neither of our sides attacks the other whilst we remain on this island." Kakashi said.

"Very well." Pein murmured.

Konan looked at him, but her face was blank. The rest of the Akatsuki stood up and left the room, heading towards their various rooms. Hidan in particular seemed disgruntled with the temporary truce, muttering under his breath as he left 'against the commandments…' and 'we should just slaughter them now…'

Kakashi watched Pein leave.

"Oh…there are spare rooms upstairs for you all if you require them." Konan added before she left.

The remaining Konaha nin looked at each other until Shikamaru spoke up.

"I suggest we get some rest. The Typhoon lady Tsunade warned us about is probably going to hit soon. I'd personally rather stay inside this mansion that set up camp. She said the winds would be…"

"Typhoon…? Hanabi!" Burst out Neji.

Everyone turned to look at him as he sprinted out of the room and down the long dimly lit corridor, into the hallway and out of the huge oak front door. They heard the sound of his feet on the stone steps as he descended them and ran towards his young cousin.

"What was that about?" Shikamaru asked, scratching his head.

"Hanabi! Hanabi are you there?" Neji called as he ran through the dilapidated rose garden.

Overhead, the sky was becoming darker, and huge black clouds accumulated as distant crashes of thunder and lightening began to sound.

Hanabi was standing where he had left her, the fragments of her little wooden sharp clutched in her hand. Her face was in shadow, but she was still sobbing very quietly. Her hair was lifted by the growing wind as Neji approached.

"Hanabi…" He said softly, sinking to his knees and reaching out for her hand.

"I'm sorry…I shouldn't have said those things…"

"It's alright…Neji…I waited for you to return. You were just possessed by the evil demon, but you're back now." The girl said quietly.

"I'm so sorry…"

Suddenly, Hanabi stepped sideways from Neji. Her face lit up and she beamed. A flash of lightening illuminated the grounds briefly.

"Beatrice!" Hanabi said excitedly.

Neji turned around incredulously, to gaze upon what the girl had seen.

Standing a little way from them, an arrogant smile plastered across her beautiful features, stood Beatrice. She was clad, not in the beautiful flowing gown depicted in her portrait in the hallway, but in a very different costume. She wore a black blazer buttoned tightly over a taut white fitted shirt. A pink tie tucked into the blazer. She also wore a multi-layered blood red skirt, which was extremely short. Her arms where crossed and an air of smugness emanated from her figure.

"Hanabi…how are you?" She purred silkily.

"What the hell…?" Began Neji, but was quickly cut across as Hanabi approached Beatrice excitedly.

The younger girl rummaged around in her pocket and drew out another small wooden charm.

"You bought two?" Neji started to say.

"Beatrice, I forgot until I saw you…today's November the thirty first right? So…happy Halloween!" Hanabi beamed, as she handed Beatrice the trinket.

"A gift for me?" Beatrice said as she looked at her present, her smile widening.

The woman then looked back at Hanabi, and down to the crushed charm in the girl's other hand.

"Oh? And what happened to that one?" She asked in a pretended curious voice.

"It got stepped on and smashed…" Hanabi said quietly, looking at the floor sadly. Suddenly, her head snapped up and she smiled once more.

"Beatrice, get you fix it for me?" She asked, her eyes full of hope and anticipation.

"Hand it to me child." Beatrice commanded.

Hanabi passed the broken charm over to her companion, who leant forward and gently put a hand with perfect nails and slender fingers over Hanabi's eyes.

"Come…imagine what this lucky charm looked like before it got broken…don't look now!" She said kindly, although the emotion was blatantly falsified.

Hanabi nodded and her face seized up in concentration.

"A lucky charm such as this should make even the most unfortunate situation turn around…let it make you carry on, no matter what happens…" Beatrice said.

Suddenly, she threw the pieces up into the air. Neji followed it with his eyes, dumbstruck.

At the peak of its flight, the fragments burst into a flock of golden butterflies, which spread outwards and circled Hanabi, before moving away back to Beatrice. One of them alighted on Beatrice's open palm and instant expanded, regaining the form of the unbroken trinket.

"You can open your eyes now." Beatrice said with a smile.

Hanabi laughed and jumped up and down as she received her charm back again.

"Beatrice is amazing! Her magic power is amazing! Thank you, Beatrice!" She sang happily, her face shining with gratitude.

"What the….hell…is this…?" Neji growled quietly, his teeth gritted.

"Oh...Hanabi." Beatrice suddenly said, as if she had just remembered something important.

"I would like you to have this." Said the witch, the sinister smith once more playing around her lips. She handed the younger girl a pale envelope with a butterfly insignia. Hanabi examined it curiously, turning over in her hands. She poked a finger into the seal in order to open it and find out what was inside.

"No!" Snapped Beatrice, making Hanabi jump.

"The time to open that will be upon you soon. Promise me you won't open it before then, understood. That is your invitation to the golden land." She said, her voice still stern, but not in an unfriendly way.

"The golden land?" Said Hanabi, her voice rising with enthusiasm and anticipation.

"You must not show that to anybody, alright?" Beatrice said.

"I won't! I would never break a promise with you Beatrice!" Hanabi assured her eagerly.

"Thank you," Beatrice said, and then walked past the girl, and over to Neji, who took a step back in surprise, "And this one if for you."

Beatrice voice now contained a note of disdain.

"I want you to read it to the rest of the people on this island when you are all together, do you comprehend me?"

Beatrice lent into Neji, who bent backwards to avoid her. Her mouth widened into a menacing grin, before she turned and walked away towards the house, uttering a drawn out laugh that made Neji shudder as he watched her go.

He and Hanabi stood there, speechless, as the witch disappeared into the mansion, Hanabi, beaming, still clutching her mended lucky charm in her hand.

Beatrice's high heeled shoes made echoes in the empty hallway, as she looked at the painting of herself that hung on the wall. She grinned again as a figure approached.

"We were waiting, Beatrice." Itachi said, and closed his eyes in acknowledgement.

"Good," She said with a slick smile, "Show me to my room."

The two began to ascend the staircase, the only noise other than their footsteps the loud ticking of the grandfather clock in the hallway. Sasori emerged from the dining room, having been idly exploring the mansion due to his sleeplessness, and looked up at the pair as they disappeared. He narrowed his eyes.

"So…she does exist." He said quietly before switching his gaze to the portrait.

He sighed, his expression remaining blank, as he turned and left the hallway once more.

Suddenly, like it had done before, the scene froze, paused in a single moment, and went colourless. A soft whistling and singing noise and a golden butterfly announced the sudden appearance of the majestic Beatrice, her floor-length gown restored, and a flustered looking Deidara.

"The strongest reason you have for denying my existence was the fact that I was not placed as a piece upon the game board." She purred, twiddling the golden pipe between her fingers absent-mindedly.

"But this time, here I am!" Said the witch with a triumphant grin.

"Aaaw…what's the matter? Going to surrender already? I'm disappointed in you, Deidara." She added when Deidara did not respond.

"Shut the hell up!" Snarled the blonde, slashing a fist through the air, "I won't give up now, un!"

His cerulean eyes were narrowed in hate and loathing towards her, and his fist was now shaking.

"I see…" Beatrice purred, "In which case, shall I progress to the next move?"


	21. The Visitor

**Chapter twenty-one.**

**I do not Umineko no Naku Koro Ni or Naruto.**

The black-and-white scene in front of Deidara vanished, and was replaced quickly by the barren, cold light of the witch's tower. He leant back and sat down on one of the ornate padded armchairs, scowling at Beatrice, who sat on the opposite side of the room. The witch had picked up a gently steaming cup of tea from the small table beside her, a smug and arrogant smile taunting him.

"None of this proves that witches exist, un." He declared, crossing his arms.

"You evidently just switched the lucky charm for an unbroken one in your pocket whilst Maria had her eyes closed!" Deidara added.

"Oh? And what about its dissolving into butterflies right before Neji's eyes?" The witch countered haughtily.

"A hallucination, un! A trick of the light!" He barked, gesturing as he made his points.

"I see," Beatrice said, setting down her cup and leaning back into her chair, "So this is how you take my moves. You dismiss them as such trifling occurrences, rather than reasoning them out. Interesting. However, it is not yet your turn. Allow me to progress to my next move."

Beatrice's shoulders began to shake as a laugh began to form in her throat, her eyes creased up with glee.

"There's still much more to come yet in the turn of the golden witch! KYAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The scene before Deidara changed quickly, colour and movement restoring as he sat back and watched.

Four people we standing in the drawing room in a circle, all of their faces deep in thought. Kakuzu left the other three, and crossed the room to the tall arched window, looking out at the gathering dark clouds and the rain that had started to pound the old house before he drew the dark burgundy curtains across it.

Pein and Konan stood facing Sasori, whose eyes were closed.

"So," Pein said, "You say you actually saw her? Beatrice? The locals had told us that she was only a legend."

"Correct. I definitely saw her. She was just the same as she was in that huge picture that hangs in the hallway. Only her clothing had slightly changed." Said the puppet-master.

"How so?" Asked Kakuzu.

"Well, she was wearing a blazer rather than the bodice in the painting and the skirt was...shorter."

"I see." Pein said.

He looked at the three people standing close to him, his strange ripple-patterned eyes making them all uncomfortable except for Konan, who showed no response.

"This could prove potentially problematic." He murmured.

"Why is that, Leader?" Kakuzu asked inquisitively.

"Think," replied Pein, "She is probably here after the power source that we heard about, or she has some claim to this island. Either way, from what we heard she was an extremely powerful entity to the people here. They even went so far as to call her a witch. Our chances of success on our mission are severely decreased is she turns out to be as powerful as that. Particularly seeing as all of us have lost out chakra. She also may have had something to do with that."

"Especially if she doesn't want us sniffing around." Sasori added.

"However, it might have just been a descendant of this woman. After all, the villagers that live around the mainland say that 'Beatrice' was present on this island more than twenty years ago. She couldn't possibly still look like the young woman that Sasori described. It is likely that this person is here for the same reason of us, and it is coincidental that she resembled Beatrice. After all, you said she was clothed differently." Konan said.

The other three looked at her, Sasori and Kakuzu showing mild surprise. They were used to her always staying quiet and not inputting much to conversation.

"Therefore, I suggest that for now, we do not jump to conclusions and believe she is this 'Beatrice'. We know according to Sasori that she is staying in this house."

"So we'll do it like this," Pein continued, "Until we can confirm this woman's identity, we will not acknowledge her yet, until she showed interest in our goal."

"In other words," He added, "neither she nor us can do anything until the typhoon passes and we can move about freely to search for out goal. At that point, if she is proven to be this 'Beatrice' we will kill her, as she is essentially a threat to our mission."

"And the Konoha nin?" Asked Sasori.

"If necessary, we kill them as well." Said Pein.

The grandfather clock in the hallway ticked down the seconds, filling the space with its mechanical noise. Neji stood looking up at the huge portrait of the witch, Hanabi at his side.

"Hanabi...who was that woman in the rose garden?" He asked quietly, looking from the painting to the young girl at his side.

"I've told you so many times now...it was Beatrice!" Insisted Hanabi.

Neji sighed and knelt down to her level.

"Have you ever met that woman before?" He enquired, his eyes searching hers. However, like all Hyuuga eyes, they disclosed very little.

"Yes!" Hanabi piped up, with a smile, "I see her lots! Even at home sometimes!"

"When? Since when did you start seeing her, Hanabi?" He queried incessantly.

"Oh...since quite a long time ago..." Hanabi said, her eyes hidden in shadow and her grin becoming more sinister.

_What? _Neji thought to himself, his eyes widening. _She must be lying...there's no way a woman like that could have roamed freely among the highest level of the Hyuuga household without any of us noticing!_

"When you meet her, what do you do together?" He asked.

"We play games; sing songs...learn magic..." Listed Hanabi.

"And where does she live?" Neji continued.

"Here...because she is the witch of Rokkenjima island, although she can instantly travel wherever she wants with her magic." Replied the young girl quietly.

Meanwhile, Beatrice sat cross legged in her room, by far the largest and most luxurious guest bedroom in the mansion. She drummed on the small beautifully carved coffee table to her left with the thin golden pipe absent-mindedly. She looked up with a dark smile as the door opened quietly, and a person entered the room.

Kiba looked emotionlessly at the witch for a second before crossing his arms.

"Itachi told me to come up here and check to see if you were happy with your room, Beatrice." He said, with a rather forced polite expression.

"My dear Kiba, it's 'Milady' to you." She said. She was smiling at him, but there was a definite threat in those cold sapphire eyes of hers.

Kiba said nothing, although it did look like there were several things he really wanted to say, but wouldn't dare in front of the witch.

"The time is now, you know, Kiba. I have returned to carry out the rest of my contract, and your days of shame as but a half-being will soon be over…" She said indifferently.

Kiba remained silent.

"What's this? Why are you not overjoyed?" She asked, grinning, "Is it possible that you have any ties to this worthless life of yours?"

"I do not." Kiba said quickly, before turning to leave. Akumaru wagged his tail from the other side of the door; Beatrice would never allow a beast such as that in her chambers.

"Aaaaw…you're no fun, Kiba." Purred Beatrice.

"I guess I'll just have to amuse myself with Tenten then…" Beatrice said silkily, her eyes lighting up with glee as she noticed the sudden change in Kiba's face, "I'm sure that with her new-founded…romance…that her regrets will entertain me quite worthily. Especially if she is chosen as one of the first sacrifices."

"You wouldn't!" Burst out Kiba, clenching his hands into tight fists.

"Oh?" Beatrice said quietly, with a hint of menace.

"Kneel." She commanded.

"What the…?"

"Kneel, and kiss my toes! If you do as I say, I might be compelled to perhaps listen to your pitiful pleas."

Kiba growled with frustration, but did as the witch demanded, loathing and disgust smeared across his face as kissed the tip of her black leather boots. He drew back and exited the room, wiping his mouth as is he had touched something filthy.

From within the room, he could hear the witch's hysterical laughter as he strode away, a flash of lightening illuminating the corridor.

"KYAHAHAHAHAHA!"


	22. Defiance

**Chapter twenty-two here!**

**I do not own Umineko or Naruto.**

Kiba's face was fault of turmoil as he passed Tenten in the gloomily lit corridor, the witches cruel words and humiliation still stinging him as if he had been whipped by her. His hands were still clenched and his teeth gritted. At his side, Akumaru padded unhappily, his tail drooping and his head lowered. As they walked past the brunette kunoichi, he suddenly turned to her, pausing in his tracks.

"It's your fault you know…" He said, glowering at her. Sure, he cared for her like his older sister, and she visa versa, but he was so annoyed at her for letting herself be manipulated by the witch, that he didn't care right now.

"If you hadn't of gone and fallen in love with whoever it is, I don't even know, we would still be able to celebrate the coming of this day. We should have been able to finally be set free and taken to the golden land, and perhaps revived as something better!"

"Will it begin tonight?" Asked Tenten quietly, looking away at her friend's harsh words.

"I believe so." Kiba answered back.

Tenten walked away from him, down the dark hallway and towards Beatrice's room. She had guessed what Kiba had done for her. She closed her eyes in sadness. He shouldn't have to sacrifice his dignity for her.

"Milady?" She said quietly as she tapped on Beatrice's door, remembering that the best way to stay in Beatrice's good books was to act respectfully.

"Enter…" Drawled the cold yet amused voice of the witch.

Tenten opened the thick oak door and slipped inside, shutting it quietly behind her as she did so. She then walked over to Beatrice, making a slight bow before sitting down beside the witch in a hard-backed chair. Beatrice reclined back into her own chair, resting her chin on her hand, her elbow leaning on the soft padded arm of her seat.

"Tell me, are you really this foolish?" Mused the witch with a dark smile.

"What do you mean?" Tenten asked as she looked at Beatrice.

"I merely saved your relationship with Deidara on a whim, nothing more, only because I love pranks and sticky situations such as the one you find yourself in. It was nothing more than an amusement for me; so I can watch your bond with him go sour, twist and crumble apart." Beatrice explained, looking at Tenten with eyes full of callous pleasure.

"You play with people, twist them, hurt them and confuse them for your own enjoyment," Tenten said, not looking at the witch, "Which is why I realise there is only one way in which I can resist you."

"Oh?" Beatrice said, her smile fading slightly, "Do carry on…"

"I won't care about you. I will ignore you from now on." Replied Tenten, looking up at the witch with no expression.

"I will control my own fate from now, thus I will no longer be the object of your entertainment. That is the only way to stand firm against you." She continued her brown eyes cold.

Beatrice's eyes widened ever so slightly.

"If you need anything, I'll send one of the others who know you to come. Thank you, Beatrice…and goodbye." She said quietly.

Tenten rose from her seat, cast a last glance at Beatrice, before she left the room, her footsteps gradually growing quieter as she disappeared down the corridor. Alone, Beatrice crossed her arms. A wide grin stretched her lips, as she narrowed her eyes cruelly.

"Interesting…" She said darkly, "I'll kill you, and watch as the man you love suffers. And then I will force you to observe as you drive him insane! Hehehehehe!"

At that moment, fifteen of the Akatsuki and Konaha nin had gathered in the huge dining room. Kiba was avoiding both Hinata and Tenten now. Tenten kept looking for an opportunity to talk to Deidara, to somehow warm him that they might be in danger without bringing up Beatrice, as he would surely not believe her. However, generally, tension seemed to have decreased at least a little since that morning, and Kakashi was conversing with Pein on where to start on their investigation into the whereabouts of whatever it was that had taken their chakra and abilities.

Neji, Hanabi and Kisame suddenly entered the room from the adjacent kitchen, their arms packed with assorted tins and packets of food.

"We managed to get the water to work, so we can boil some of this; the rice and noodles for example." Kisame said, as he dropped his load on the big oak table that took up most of the room.

Coincidently, exactly eighteen seats were arranged around it, one for each of them.

"It's not exactly a king's feast, but it will be fine." Shikamaru observed, as he picked up a packet of some food or other and opened it, taking a few experimental bites of whatever was inside.

"Odd...it seems pretty fresh…never mind." He said, dismissing the fact before returning to eating.

Shikamaru jumped as something whooshed past him, snatching the food from his grip.

"Hey…Hanabi!" He said, looking from his empty hand to the grinning nine-year-old holding his dinner.

Meanwhile, Sasori remained sitting at the table, not listening to the others, or the squabbling that was starting between Shikamaru and Hanabi.

He looked at his hand, his eyes half closed. He moved his fingers experimentally, and sighed as he found it so much harder than he had yesterday. He knew that the loss of his chakra had hit him more than it had for the others. Not only was he now unable to control his puppets, but he was loosing control of himself. One needed chakra to control his complicated artificial body, and the only organic part left, his beating heart, was unable to support all of him for much longer. Desperate to cast his mind to something else, he looked up at the group.

"So…is our guest not joining us for dinner then?" He asked in his always silky voice.

Deidara looked up at him.

"Guest?" He asked, puzzled.

"Yes…Beatrice." Kakuzu said quietly.

Everyone aside Kiba, Tenten, Hanabi and some of the Akatsuki expressed their surprise, Neji taking a step forward.

"Beatrice?" Deidara repeated.

"The witch?" Asked Kakashi.

"This is a joke, isn't it, Kakuzu?" Asked Kisame with a sharp-toothed grin.

Tobi nodded from where he stood at the back of the room.

"Pein, we were under the impression we were alone on this island. Who is she, and is she an accomplice of yours?"

Konan's face suddenly became the minutest bit flustered.

"I assure you, we had no idea either there was some crazy witch damn well here..." Began Hidan grumpily.

"Of course she isn't a witch!" said Konan quickly, turning quickly to face Pein. "She's probably merely an important person who possesses admirable skills, who we have decided to ignore right now, given that we have no idea if she has shinobi skills, and that we don't have our abilities.

Tenten looked at Lee as she thought she heard him mumble 'speak for yourself'.

"We decided she might be here for the same reasons as us, but we have taken no action as of yet. Besides, she has done nothing to arise suspicion. She's been in her room this whole time." Said Itachi quietly.

Hanabi suddenly yawned so loudly that it made some of the party jump.

Kakashi looked at the black sky and the clouds, wind and rain outside the window.

"It must be very late by now…I suggest that some of us go and get some rest, whilst the others stay here to discuss matters." Kakashi suggested.

"I agree, it would be pointless if half of us are exhausted tomorrow morning." Shikamaru said.

"Neji, Tenten? I want you to take Hanabi with you and see if you can find somewhere to relax for now. Stay together…just in case." Kakashi said.

"In that case, take Deidara and Sasori with you. I think it's best if we know what the enemy are up to, even if we are at a truce for now."

Kakashi nodded, as the five left the dining room, heading through the hallway to the parlour, as they knew it contained numerous comfortable couches and sofas, not to mention a supply of books to combat boredom. The house was as silent as ever, apart from the rushing and screaming of the weather outside. As the five passed the huge painting of Beatrice on the wall, lightening flickered through the window, and the frozen woman's eyes seemed to be glinting.


	23. Possibilties

**Chapter twenty-three is here!**

**I do not own Umineko no Naku Koro Ni or Naruto.**

Deidara, Sasori, Tenten, Neji and Hanabi walked through the rain, as the wind began to get even stronger. Sasori had suddenly remembered as they had reached the parlour that they had found a smaller guest house a few days earlier a little way from the main building. They had decided that they would rest stay somewhere away from the mysterious Beatrice, of which none of them knew much about, apart from seemingly Hanabi.

They had reached the guest-house within about ten minutes, and all of them looked intensely relieved to be out of the storm that was getting louder and stronger outside. Hanabi shook her long dark hair like a puppy, making Tenten smile at the little girl. It seemed slightly more relaxed now, without the bulk of their party. Deidara instantly crossed the room and sank into a large armchair, his long blonde bangs plastered against his face.

Tenten couldn't help but laugh at him. His hair looked hilarious after their quick trip through the crazy weather. Neji looked at her incredulously, as if to scold her for letting go of her self in front of the enemy. Sasori didn't even look at them, but headed for one of the small private guest bedrooms that were attached to the main room of the small house by a warmly lit hallway.

"I never thought we'd actually meet that 'Beatrice' from the painting while we were here..." Said Deidara.

"Tenten," Neji said, looking at her whilst feeling uncomfortable near such a potentially dangerous Akatsuki member, "You researched and have been on this island for a while before we came haven't you? What can you tell us about this supposed witch?"

"Well..." Tenten began, "I know that she served a master who lived here some years ago. He was supposed to be a very powerful shinobi, but he died, although the cause of his disappearance is unknown. Some say that shinobi from our village were the ones to kill him, but nothing is certain."

"Is there anything else?" Enquired Neji.

"Well...I know one other thing. She was also his lover, all those years ago." Tenten said quietly, knowing that she shouldn't really be saying any of this at all.

Neji leant back in his own chair, his arms crossed.

"In which case, it is possible that the woman we met today could be the child of these two? Therefore, she isn't Beatrice, but she may perhaps be seeking revenge of those who killed her father and maybe her mother."

"Exactly...we can moreover assume that this 'Beatrice' who is now resident in the main house is merely assuming the title of 'witch' and using all of the old stories to scare us. Or to make us put down our guard. I mean, of course, she can't be a witch; that would be ridiculous. So really, we don't need to be worried at all! This woman is merely trying to fool us by using the name Beatrice!"

"_Kihihihihihihihi!" _Laughed Hanabi from her corner of the room.

Everyone turned to look at her. Her eyes were creased up in glee, and her lips were insanely stretched into a crazy grin. He laugh was high and made everyone feel uncomfortable.

"Hanabi! Don't laugh like that!" Neji said sternly, although still showing surprise on his usually so composed face.

"So, Deidara!" She began. The others looked even more surprised as she directed her attention to the Akatsuki member, "You acknowledge Beatrice as a nineteenth guest, but you still will not believe that she is a witch?"

"Well...yeah. Think about what you just said, there's no way she could be a witch! Witches don't exist." Deidara replied, looking at the little girl with confusion in his eyes. Since when did nine-year olds stand up to him?

"Just because you have never met a witch, you use that as a basis to deny them completely? You can't prove that witches can't exist can you? It's impossible. However, you can easily say they can exist, as there is no proof to show that they don't!" The girl explained.

She laughed again.

"You are the type you tries to explain everything with your own ignorance!" She cried triumphantly.

Deidara got to his feet. No little girl could shout at him like this! He began to walk over to her, to scare her a bit, but Tenten quickly intercepted him, giving him a look that was both pleading and insistent. Deidara clenched his fist and returned to him seat, as did Tenten.

"I will not believe something so irrational. You want me to believe you? Then this human Beatrice must show us something that is impossible for a human to do, and then I will acknowledge her!" He growled.

"Stop it you two..." Neji began, but was cut off by Hanabi.

"If that's what you want, I'm sure Beatrice will appease you..." Hanabi said, but quieter now than before.

"Something impossible...then you will believe?" Queried Hanabi.

"Yeah, I'll believe alright!" Deidara countered with a grin.

"_Kihihihi..."_

At that moment, Kiba was patrolling up and down the empty corridors of the great mansion, having been told you go and keep watch by Kakashi. He scuffed his boots against the dull maroon carpet as he walked, hunched over.

"Dammit, Tenten..." He said to himself, "Why did you have to go and fall in love? Why have you tied what is left of yourself to this world in that way?"

He stopped in his tracks, Akumaru stopping beside him and whining at him.

"I thought I would celebrate this time coming...I'm going to finally be free. I...and yet...I don't want to leave."

He sighed, scrunching up his fists.

_Why is that? _He thought to himself. _Why do I want to stay here in this dismal existence so much?_

Then, he could see her in his mind, standing there as he walked away from her, her milky eyes watching him with sadness.

He realised that tears were welling up in his eyes. He sank to his knees next to his best friend, the huge dog whining at him again as he leant against his furry hide.

_I can't fall in love...I'm just furniture. I only exist for the witch's entertainment...I'm not allowed to love...we'll both just be hurt in the end..._

Meanwhile, eight people were still seated at the huge oak table in the dining room, facing a solitary figure who sat cross legged in the seat at the head of the table.

"We do not disagree...Konan and I acknowledge you." Pein said, his usual superior tone absent from his speech.

"I too...cannot refute, I recognise you as well." Kakuzu said.

"Eeh...me too." Hidan said.

"I can't deny it...as much as I'd like to...I recognise you." Kakashi sighed.

"Me as well." Kisame said in his usual rough demeanour.

"We acknowledge you." Zetsu growled from his dark side.

"Hehehehehehe!" Laughed the woman at the head of the table, leaning back in her seat and placing her feet on the table, her long leather boot thudding against the wood.

"I see that your theory of mine being a mere human has backfired on you, hasn't it?" She said, a malicious grin stretching her dark lips.

"Please, Lady Beatrice, do not mock us when we've already pledged out recognition." Said Kakuzu, looking down at the table uncomfortably.

"Shikamaru? Do you have any objections? I like with when we all agree." Beatrice said haughtily.

Shikamaru sighed.

"I cannot object. I must recognise that you are a witch."

A flash of lightening illuminated the sky, as Deidara looked out of the window of the small guest house. Hanabi had fallen asleep on the sofa, so Neji had found blanket and she was sleeping peacefully, curled up breathing softly. He had been talking to Tenten about art animatedly, ignoring the fact that she looked a little overwhelmed by his constant babbling, but suddenly a feeling of foreboding made his smile disappear.

He sighed as he wondered to himself about the events of the evening.

_Would Beatrice appear?_

_Would she show him something...imposible?_


	24. Happy Halloween Hanabi

**Chapter twenty-four!**

**Again, a nice happy chapter.**

**I do not own Umineko no Naku Koro Ni or Naruto.**

The echoes of the grandfather clock in the hall reverberated through the great house, as a lone figure stared out of the upstairs window of his room, his face impassive. It was six o'clock on the morning, and although the weather was somewhat quieter than it had been, the wind remained high, and rain lashed the old brickwork of the mansion.

"It seems I have survived the first twilight…" The person said quietly to himself.

"So…Beatrice, which six pieces did you take?"

Meanwhile, Shikamaru awoke with a yawn, stretched before blearily rubbing the sleepiness out of his eyes. He stood up; trying to remember what it was that had woken him. Someone was knocking on his door. It sounded frantic. He crossed the room, instantly alert, his guard up just in case as he opened the door.

"Hey, kid, are you in there?" came a gravely voice as the door swung to reveal the unreadable Kakuzu.

"What do you want?" Asked Shikamaru suspiciously, eyeing the Akatsuki member.

"Find the rest of your group. Something's happened."

Ten minutes later, seven people were gathered outside of a small, yet imposing building that was separate from the main house. There stood Shikamaru, Hinata, Kisame, Kiba (and of course, Akumaru) as well as Hidan, Kakuzu and Neji, who Shikamaru had fetched from the guest house, not bringing the others as they were all asleep. Well, apart from Sasori who they couldn't find. The building was painted white, with a small tower at one end. The windows were exquisitely decorated in stained glass. A huge double wooden door served as the only entrance to the building, which happened to be a small chapel, but it was what was painted on the door that grabbed their attention.

"What the hell…?" Hidan muttered as he gazed at it.

"I awoke early this morning to find Leader to ask him what we should do next, and I found a memo in the dining room with the words 'chapel' written on it." Kakuzu said.

The door was covered in a dull red substance, which had been painted on in such a way that it illustrated a strange symbol, or shape, adorned with various sentences around its edges in some foreign language that none of them could understand. The substance was running a little as the rain mingled with it, forming crimson puddles on the ground at their feet.

"It's painted in blood." Observed Kisame, his regular grin looking a little nervous.

"What's this?" Asked Neji as he bent down to examine a sentence in a recognisable language that ad been written at the bottom of the scrawl.

"_Happy Halloween for Hanabi." _Neji read.

"That's not all, I'm afraid." Kakuzu said with a sigh, "We've been unable to locate Leader, Konan, Zetsu, Tobi or Itachi as of yet."

"And I wasn't able to find Kakashi or Lee either…" Hinata murmured.

"The windows and door are all locked. We can't get in." Kiba pointed out.

"Plus, the keys that Leader gave to us do not open this door. There was only one key to the chapel and it's missing." Kisame said.

Neji suddenly gasped in realisation. The others all turned to look at him, but he had disappeared, sprinting away towards the guest house. The slapping noises of his boots against the rain-soaked group gradually died away as the distance between them increased. Neji ran until he reached the door to the small guest house.

Opening it quietly, he slipped inside. Neji crossed the room to the door to where Hanabi was lying asleep on the long sofa next to Tenten's hunched form, and sighed with relief. At least she was alright. He turned back to Hanabi's bag that had been slung on the floor by her feet. He reached inside and drew out the pale creamy envelope that Beatrice had given her the day before. Tearing the gold-rimmed seal, he tipped the envelope upside down, and smiled grimly as a silver key dropped into his palm.

He suddenly heard a grunt as Deidara appeared from his small bedroom, rubbing his eyes with the back of hand sleepily.

"What's going on, un?" He yawned.

Tenten stirred as well, and lifted her drowsy eyes to look at Neji. Sasori also appeared shortly behind Deidara, although he didn't look quite right.

"Nothing. You should all stay here for now." Neji said sternly, and left the building with the key held in his hand tightly.

Deidara watching him as he disappeared into the morning mist and rain, as Hanabi also woke up, looking around at the others.

"It's true…" Kakuzu said in his usual gravely tones as he looked at the key in Neji's hand, "This is definitely the key to the chapel."

Kakuzu took the key from Neji, and turned to the great double oak door covered in the strange blood symbol. The key clicked in the lock. Shikamaru and Hidan pushed the heavy doors opened as the others walked inside.

Neji looked around the inside of the chapel, his pale eyes taking in every detail. The high stained-glass windows provided all of the light in the one large room which was not that much given the grey and stormy weather outside. Neji began to notice a smell as he walked through the one isle, but since his gaze was focused so solely on the ornate rafters and windows that he was only made aware of its source at a sharp cry from Hinata.

Neji suddenly looked down as he stepped on something that squelched beneath his feet. It was too dark so he couldn't quite make out what it was…a slug of some sort? Or a rubber pipe? He dismissed it to look back at what the group were all staring at so intently.

At the end of the isle, where the pews ended and there was a wide open space, was a long dining table. The table was covered with cakes and sweets and other colourful food all on beautiful yet sickeningly cute trays and plates. In the centre of the table stood a large vividly orange pumpkin, its sinister grin and malicious eyes staring right through Neji. Around the table were six chairs, and in each of the chairs sat a person. Neji put his head on one side thoughtfully. They looked as if they were asleep. It wasn't until his gaze moved from their faces that he fully realised what he was seeing.

In the chairs sat Lee, Konan, Pein, Itachi, Zetsu and Kakashi. Blood was spattered all over their laps and on the floor beneath their chairs from a hideous wound in each of their abdomens. Their stomach and guts were missing, and in their place, the stomach cavity was stuffed full of more colourful sweets and chocolate. The original insides were scattered through the room. Neji looked back at what he had stepped on.

Hinata's hands flew to her mouth, her eyes wide and full of tears. She seemed to be frozen to the spot. Hidan, Shikamaru and Kisame ran forwards to the bodies, all of their faces white with shock and repulsion.

"We – we need to contact the mainland!" Shikamaru stammered as he looked panic-stricken at the corpses.

Kisame was checking the bodies quickly to see if any of them were alive, although it was more than evident they were all dead. Kiba sprinted over to Kakashi, and then to Lee and even to the murdered Akatsuki members, his face looking grey and sick, Akumaru whining loudly by his side.

"We have to tell the Leaf what has happened! Is there anyway to send word?" Kiba almost yelled, his face covered with pure terror.

"We'll see if we can find any messenger birds. We brought some for emergencies." Said Shikamaru, his hand on his had as what had happened sank in.

He and Kisame left the chapel, sprinting through the wind and rain to the main house where the birds were being held.

"Lee? Kakashi?" Came a small voice from the door way.

They all turned to see Deidara, Sasori, Tenten and Hanabi standing there.

"What…the….hell...?" Deidara breathed as he looked on at the horridly mutilated corpses and the detritus that was thrown around the chapel.

"LEE!" Tenten screamed and surged forwards.

Deidara intercepted her and caught her around the waist, stopping her from running any further. Kiba took a step toward her, trying to speak calmly.

"No…! Tenten we need to leave the scene as it is! The ANBU need it to be untouched when they get here!" He said.

Neji made a move forward towards Deidara, but stopped, knowing that the blonde wasn't going to try anything. Not now.

Tenten struggled in Deidara's grip, her eyes fixed on the corpse of her best friend, eyes filled with tears, weeping uncontrollably. Her anguished howls echoed around the room. She thrashed about violently, but Deidara ignored it and held on to her tightly, tears were streaming down his own face, knowing how much he was hurting Tenten. However, if she got close to Lee's body and saw exactly what had been done to him, he knew she would have broken apart then and there.

Sasori looked on silently.

Hinata was trembling with horror, her face porcelain white. Hinata remained standing in the doorway, her face in shadow and unreadable.

At that moment, the scene froze. Tenten was still, as was everyone else in the room. They were all as silent and unmoving as statues. As the colour drained from the room and its occupants in that pocket of time, Beatrice and Deidara materialised out of the air in a cloud of golden butterflies.

"Another ridiculous killing method…" Growled Deidara, his fists clenched, "You disgust me!"

Beatrice smirked, and ignored his comment.

"In the first game, the victims of the first twilight had their faces destroyed, and rendered unrecognisable. Because of that, you could assume that one of them could have been a forged corpse." The witch said casually as she walked lazily through the isle until she stood at the head of the dining table.

"But now, you can recognise all of their faces!" Said the witch triumphantly as she opened her arms wide, gesturing the grotesque scene before her.

"Stop it! Shut the hell up you filthy witch! I'll kill you for all of this!" Roared Deidara, his eyes full of hatred and laughing for the woman in front of him.

"You are trying to prove that this was done without the use of magic, correct?" Beatrice side, smiling to herself, her cruel eyes regarding Deidara with amusement, "And yet, you are unwilling to prove that the culprit is among your fellows…"

Beatrice's grin widened.

"Let's see you try!" She hissed.

The pair disappeared from whence they had come, and the scene returned to life. Tenten still struggled and kicked to escape and run to the body of her friend, and her face was now full of fury, so much so that her eyes almost burned with it.

"WHO DID THIS? I'LL KILL THEM!" She snarled, her teeth bared.

"I woman called Beatrice is on the island, isn't she?" Said Hinata.

Everyone looked with surprise at the usually timid girl. She was shaking, but not with fear. Her face for the first time in Kiba's memory was filled with anger and rage, the like of which didn't look natural in Kiba's eyes.

"She must be the culprit!" Hinata shouted, before spinning on her heel and sprinting out of the chapel, through the gardens that were quickly becoming a quagmire and towards the grand mansion.

"Can someone go after her?" Deidara said as he held Tenten back.

"I'll go." Kiba said, and followed Hinata, Akumaru loping at his side. Kakuzu looked at them for a moment before also leaving after them.

Sasori watched them disappear into the wind and rain. Wasn't it odd how a simple event like this could shake them all so badly they forgot who was friend or foe?


	25. The Two Who Are Close

**Chapter twenty-five.**

**I do not own Umineko or Naruto.**

**It's time for the evil goat-butlers of doom!**

The remaining individuals in the chapel looked back at the disgusting scene at the back of the room as the footsteps of Kiba and Kakuzu died away. Suddenly, Hidan made a move forwards, his eyes fixed, not on the mutilated corpses, but on the large orange pumpkin that sat at the centre of the table.

"What the…." He began as he looked closer into the carved mouth.

Inside, they all clearly noticed three glimmering objects resting on the spongy fleshy base of the hollowed out pumpkin. They were three large gold bricks. They were perfectly rectangular and shone, eerily beautiful in the dark room. In the top of the golden bricks was an intricate pattern of a butterfly in flight.

"Is this…?" Sasori started to say, but his voice died in his throat, caught by the striking luminescence of the gold.

"Kihihihihi!"

They all span around to look at Hanabi, who was shaking with that disturbing laugh as she stood, still in the doorway to the chapel.

"It looks like it has begun!" She giggled, her eyes dark, "Please Beatrice, hurry and take me to the golden land!"

Meanwhile, the sound of Hinata's fists echoed through the deserted mansion as she beat them against the door to Beatrice's private room. Her face was pink, and full of desperation and anger.

"Open up, Beatrice, I know you're in there!" She cried.

Kiba and Kakuzu approached behind her.

"Hinata!" Kiba shouted, skidding to a halt with Akumaru by her side. Kakuzu stopped next to her as well.

"Kiba!" Hinata said as she turned to him, stony-faced, "Kakashi-sensei gave you one of the master keys, right? Can you give it to me, please?"

Her tone changed to nervous, as she was still unsure of herself around Kiba. However, her fiery new demeanour returned as she took the key from him and rattled it around in the lock, bursting into Beatrice's room. She looked wildly around as Kakuzu and Kiba followed her inside. The room was empty. However, it was evident that someone had been in there. The bed sheets had been tossed aside, and the room had definitely been used. On the small tea table by the bed was a square piece of creamy paper.

Hinata crossed the room in a few steps and picked it up. Her eyes flicked across it, reading the lines quickly, slowly widening as she read more. With a cry she screwed up the piece of paper and threw it aside.

"She really did do it!" She shrieked, Kiba looked at her astounded. She NEVER behaved like this.

"Beatrice! SHOW YOURSELF!" Cried Hinata, tears flowing from her eyes.

Kiba bent over and picked up the discarded paper, unfolded it and smoothed it out before reading its contents aloud.

"_Were you really as stupid as to think that I would simply wait here for you to burst in? Someone as rash as you should not be allowed to play a part in this intellectual night. Have you any idea of what your precious comrades' faces looked like? Well, I did see them before they were killed. You know, they looked as stupid as you do now. And now their stomachs are full of sweets!"_

Hinata doubled over, curled into a ball on the dark red carpet. She was sobbing now, her eyes screwed up as if trying to make the whole world just go away.

Kiba reached out towards her, but she threw his hand away.

"Kakuzu, leave this to me. I'll take Hinata to her room." Kiba said his eyes heavy with sadness.

"I understand." Kakuzu replied gruffly.

Kiba reached over and put his arms around the grieving Hinata, and helped her to stand. She didn't brush him away this time as he helped her to her feet. They walked slowly through the dimly lit corridor until they reached the door to Hinata's room. Hinata coughed and sobs at intervals as Kiba helped her sit down on her bad, tears dripping into her lap. He sat with her for a little while until her tears subsided.

"Th-thanks…Kiba…" Hinata whispered, sounding much more like the Hinata he knew.

Kiba stood up and took a step back from her.

"If you need anything at all, I'll wait for you outside the door." He said quietly.

He turned and began to leave, but looked back as he heard Hinata make a small noise. He looked at her sadly, wishing he knew something that he could do to make her feel better.

"Its something wrong?" he asked softly.

The girl shook her head. Kiba nodded and turned to leave once more.

Suddenly, a voice filled the room. It was low, and yet elegant and feminine.

"You truly do not understand the heart of a woman do you, Kiba?" It said, ringing through the room and echoing as if they were stood at the end of a long tunnel.

Kiba jumped in surprise and whirled around as a woman exploded into the room in a cloud of golden butterflies. She was smiling cruelly, her piercing blue eyes narrowed.

"At times like this, you should remain quiet and stand by her side, you know?" Said the woman silkily, crossing her arms disapprovingly.

"It's plain to see that the grasp of the human heart if beyond you." The witch sighed.

"That's why you're just furniture." She said as her eyes narrowed her grin widening.

"Beatrice!" Kiba growled.

"Th-this is Beatrice…?" Whispered Hinata.

"The witch is said to appear when the princess and the knight are finally together!" Beatrice said, "How about you show me just how powerful you are now I've stripped you of all of your abilities!"

Kiba tensed, and then smiled slightly. The witch faltered for a second and looked confused. Kiba stretched out his right arm, and closed his eyes. A shimmering light engulfed it, swirling around his forearm like petals in the wind. When the gleaming fragments of light dissipated, they left Kiba with a long, shining blade attached to him outstretched arm. However, it wasn't any sort of metal or tangible blade. It was made up of pure light, and shone a bright scarlet before Hinata's eyes.

"Kiba…what's going on?" Hinata asked, her eyes wide as she looked at him.

"I'm sorry, Hinata," Kiba said, looking at the floor with eyes full of sadness, "I wanted to tell you, truly I did. But…I thought the witch would use it to her advantage and hurt you. It seems that she's hurt you either way."

"What is this?" Beatrice demanded, gesturing to the blade of red light on Kiba's arm.

"That day, Tenten and I should have died in that accident. You saved us Beatrice, for your own entertainment. You prevented our deaths with your magic and as a result part of us was forever after inhuman. The only drawback being that we, like you, were bound to this island and were forced to serve you!" Kiba snarled, his eyes full of hatred. Akumaru barked.

"Yes, I know this, filth. Explain that." She said, pointing to the blade with a perfectly shaped nail.

"You didn't know back then the extra abilities our inhumanity gave us; abilities not requiring the use of our chakra. Beatrice, I will protect Hinata! I won't let you kill her!" Kiba shouted.

"I see…that makes sense…" Sighed the witch, "How tedious. Nevertheless, how will you fare against these?" She said with a grin.

Throughout the conversation, numerous golden butterflies had been fluttering around the room, their glowing light throwing the room's occupants into shadow, their eerie whistling and singing filling the space. All at once, they collided, forming several clouds of golden light. From each shimmering cloud, there arose a shape. A roughly humanoid shape. As the butterflies dissipated, Hinata's eyes widened as she saw what they revealed.

At least ten people clothed in identical black tailcoats and uniforms stood around the witch. Except, they couldn't possibly be people. They were humanoid right up until you looked at their heads. They wore the faces of black goats, with long horns that twisted to the side, and bright staring red eyes that glowed with a crimson light of their own. The pupil was an ever so slightly darker red, but was devoid of expression.

They raised their left arms in unison, and as the click of Beatrice's fingers, shining blades nearly identical to Kiba's flickered into being on their forearms. The only different being that theirs were a pulsing royal blue, and were less intricate in design.

"What…?" Hinata began.

"Now we'll see if my accidental furniture can withstand the power of the Golden Witch!" Laughed Beatrice hysterically, her blue eyes wide.

Suddenly, the ten goat-men surged forward. Their mouths split the side of their skulls until they were wide open more like the mouth of a dog, and filled with shining white teeth. They eyes became wide and madly staring, the long pink tongue lolling repulsively from the black hairy jaws as the monstrous creatures sprinted towards Kiba and Hinata.


	26. Devil's Fight

**Chapter twenty-six.**

**Finally, the seven stakes of purgatory make their entrance!**

**I do not own Umineko or Naruto.**

Seven people were gathered in the drawing room, examining a crumpled sheet of creamy paper. Well…not quite all of them. Hanabi was absorbed in a book she had picked up off of a shelf in one of the bookshelves that were placed around the room, and wasn't listening to the others. Kakuzu sighed as he looked at the piece of paper.

"We found this in Beatrice's bedroom." He said quietly.

"But…this note is just telling us that she did it…" Deidara murmured, resting his chin on the backs of his hands. His brows were knitted in concentration as he tried to work out what could be going on here.

"So Beatrice is really guilty of this crime?" Sasori asked, his hazel eyes flicking over each person in turn.

"Wait a minute." Hidan butted in. He drew an envelope out of his pocket, and held it up so they could all see.

"Kakuzu, after you, Hinata and the dog kid left, we found this on the table next to the gold." He explained.

"It sounds completely ridiculous, what's written inside. The woman calls herself a 'witch' and writes some rubbish about collecting gold and interest and suchlike. And then it said, if we find the main trove of gold from with the sample in the chapel came from, she'll lose her claim to both it and the interest. It's all nonsense." Deidara said, closing his eyes and sighing.

"But, Deidara, when you think about the three bricks of gold that we found in the chapel, can't we assume this vast amount of gold might actually exist?" Asked Neji.

At that moment, Kiba was busy ducking as one of the demons took a swipe at him, almost severing his neck. Hinata looked on, stunned to the point she was unable to move. Kiba spun and slashed, his blade composed only of light whistling through the air as he attacked, resounding with a metallic clash whenever he struck the weapon of his opponents.

Mouths widen open, saliva flying through the air, the goat-demons ran at him full pelt, bringing their own blades down upon his head in unison. Kiba just managed to put up his own arm and block. Suddenly, he saw his window of opportunity. Whilst the demons prepared to strike again, he moved and threw himself at them, cutting a wide arc with his blade.

Kiba leapt back as two of the demons were thrown backwards by his attack, exploding into golden glowing butterflies when they hit the ground. However, it wasn't long before three more launched themselves at him. He blocked and parried, keeping both himself and Hinata safe for the moment. He leapt into the air, drawing the demons with him.

"This…is it a dream…?" Hinata whispered, not believing what she was seeing.

The three demons and Kiba landed simultaneously, but Kiba landed badly. In his moment of weakness, one of the goat-men swiped at him. He just about managed to swing away in time, but not before the enemy's blade opened a deep cut on his cheek. Akumaru hadn't been so lucky. As he saw his master start to fall, he rushed forwards to him, whining. Instantly, the demons turned and sliced at the dog, thrusting deep into Akumaru's heart.

The world momentarily stopped still for Kiba, as he watched the body of his best friend fall to the ground, his blood spearing out through the carpet. Kiba's eyes widened and tears welled up in the corners of them. As he turned back to his attackers, they were full of an all new hatred and burned with loathing.

Drops of blood flew from his wound on his cheek as he continued to whirl and slash, ignoring the pain in his face. He knew that if he stopped for even a second, both he and Hinata would be killed like Akumaru had been.

"Witch's furniture!" He snarled as he span around suddenly, cutting two of his attackers clean in half, their bodies dissolving into butterflies.

"Let me show you just how soft the hell you came from is!" He roared, as with a final arc of his blade he felled the last of the goat-demons.

The room became very quiet, as Kiba stood in front of Hinata, panting after the fight, a drop of sweat running down his face. He began to walk over to the body of his friend, but stopped still at Beatrice's voice. She was laughing. Kiba turned to her, pain and fury filling his dark eyes.

"I'll kill for that! Beatrice!" He roared and leapt into the air.

Kiba swung his blade down at the witch as he descended, and should have sliced her right in half. However, she simply grinned at him and vanished into a cloud of golden shimmering butterflies which then reformed on the other side of the room. The witch looked at him coolly with a mocking smile on her perfect face.

"Respect your seniors, furniture." She grinned, "Do what you're told, furniture. Don't you dare speak to me, furniture; you're nothing but filth, furniture!"

"S-stop calling Kiba that!" Cried out a small voice from the back of the room.

Hinata took a step forward, her face full of terror, but also of determination as she looked at the witch.

"He shielded me from you, stopped those things from hurting me. Because of that, he's human, so don't call him furniture!" Hinata cried, her eyes becoming more determined and fixed on Kiba as she spoke.

"Ahahahahahehehe!" Laughed the witch, leaning back and placing her delicate hand on her hips as she did so.

Her lips twitched into a wide grin as she regarded the two people at her mercy.

"Why don't I make you two the 'ones who are close' for the next twilight? Yes…it would be most amusing!"

The witch's face became serious, but even more menacing as her eyes narrowed and seemed to almost glow that cold cerulean blue.

"Come. Arise. One of the seven stakes of purgatory. Asmodeus, demon of lust!" Beatrice called, opening her arms and looking up at the ceiling.

Kiba leapt back to stand directly in front of Hinata, to protect her from whatever the witch was going to summon next.

A circle of bright white light appeared on the floor next to Beatrice, shining so brightly that Kiba and Hinata were forced to look momentarily away. A noise like a deep buzzing hum filled the room, pressing in on their eardrums. When the noise and the light subsided, they looked back at where it had originated from. Hinata gasped.

A young woman stood on the spot next to Beatrice, about the same-ish age as Hinata. Her hair was bright blond and tied in two long bunches. She was wearing the oddest array of clothing that Hinata had ever seen. A scarlet blazer with sleeves ending in black frilled was worn over a matching scarlet waistcoat that was tightly buttoned over a white shirt. A pink tie tucked into the waistcoat and reappeared under it where the waistcoat ended, just under her bust.

Under this she seemed to be wearing some sort of black leotard with a very short black skirt that was attached to the hips of the leotard. Under this were layers of white frills that made the skirt stand out. A large black bow was tied at the base of her spine to the outfit, the trailing black ribbons swishing around her long and slender pale legs.

On her feet she was wearing tall brown boots, under which long black socks covered most of her legs up to near the top of her thighs. She was devastatingly beautiful. The girl grinned at Kiba and Hinata, her crimson eyes burning into them.

"Asmodeus of Lust, present." She said in a high voice.

"Good. I want you to carry out the second twilight right now." Said Beatrice to her.

Asmodeus gave Beatrice a low bow, and then began to walk towards Kiba and Hinata, smiling widely.

"Hehehe! Look at what wonderful prey the great Beatrice has given me! I will enjoy this! Just look how cute they are!"

Kiba growled and took a step forwards.

"No matter what witch's furniture you are, I will cut you down!"

Kiba sprinted towards the girl, swiping through the air at her with his glowing blade of red light. She danced out of the path of his attack, laughing in that childish way.

"So, little kid, where shall I get you?" She giggled, swaying this way and that with no effort at all as she dodged the swings and attacks coming from Kiba.

"Where shall I kill you? Answer me!"

She chuckled loudly as she leapt backwards away from him. Suddenly, her bright red eyes narrowed at Kiba and her face became deadly serious. At that moment, she leapt into the air so quick that Hinata could barely keep track of her. Kiba stepped backwards, his gaze flicking up.

Asmodeus let out one final childish laugh before she disappeared into a cloud of golden butterflies that swarmed around her in the air. When the butterflies dissipated, she had vanished, replaced with a twisted metallic silver object. She had transformed into a deadly sharp metal stake.

Suddenly, the stake shot forwards at the speed of a bullet. However, it wasn't aimed at Kiba at all, but at the wall. It ricocheted off of it with a clang and flew crazily in all directions, bouncing off of walls, the ceiling and furniture in the room. However, it slowed down as it found its target.

There was a sudden 'whoosh' of air as it sped towards Kiba's back, Kiba himself having not noticed.

There was a wet sounding thud.

Kiba's eyes widened and he spun around. Hinata was facing him, only a few inches away, caught in the motion of falling to the ground as she shielded him from death. Drops of blood were thrown into Kiba's face, his eyes full of horror. The twisted metal spike was puncturing deep into Hinata's back.


	27. The Red Truth

**Chapter twenty-seven.**

**Sorry to all KibaHina fans out there!**

**I do not own Umineko or Naruto.**

"Hinata!" Kiba cried.

Kiba's face was white in horror, as Hinata collapsed forwards, blood soaking into her clothes from the deep wound on her back. As the girl fell past him, she turned her face towards him and smiled weakly.

"You've…always…been h-human." She whispered.

Hinata's body hit the floor with a dull thud, and lay still. Kiba knelt down beside her, shocked into silence. He put his arms around her limp form and lifted her up from where she lay, face down. She looked so small and pitiful lying there, and yet he was only alive because she had placed herself between him and the weapon that had tried to kill him.

"Hehehehehe! Hey, Kiba! Weren't you going to protect your princess?" Laughed Beatrice, her eyes narrowed as she relished the boy's pain and sorrow.

Kiba ignored her, still staring at Hinata's body.

"Haaah…but this is getting tedious. I'll just kill you now then shall I?" Asked the witch, smiling as she regarded Kiba with amusement.

"Now…Arise, one of the seven stakes of purgatory, Satan! Demon of Wrath." Called Beatrice, her eyes widening as power flowed around her.

The white circle of blindingly bright light appeared once more beside the witch, so much so that Kiba was forced to raise his arm to block it from his eyes. As it subsided, he looked up to see another of the red and back clad girls, almost identical to the first except her face was sharper, more serious, and frames by long white ringlets. Satan's scarlet eyes narrowed at Kiba.

"Satan of wrath, present." The girl purred.

"Kill this fool immediately. Let me see his regrets in his eyes as his life is snatched away." Ordered Beatrice, pointing her long golden pipe at Kiba, grinning widely.

"Of course, milady." Satan said respectfully, before turning and advancing towards Kiba.

"I…I am not like you…" Kiba said quietly.

"I am human! I won't let you fool me into thinking differently again, Beatrice!" He roared, his voice getting louder and louder.

"Oooh…what is this?" Satan said silkily, placing a hand on one hip.

She grinned at Kiba cruelly.

"Looks like I'll be the one to kill you. I shall pierce right into your heart! I will spill that warm blood for you." She laughed.

Suddenly, the girl leapt high into the air. Kiba set down Hinata's body carefully, and stood up, teeth bared and fists clenched as he tensed himself.

"Come; let me taste your beautiful warm blood now!" Satan cried.

At once, golden butterflies surrounded the girl, hiding her from Kiba's view completely. Just like before, once they dissipated, he saw the cruel twisted metal stake in her place. Her last laugh rang in his ears as the stake shot forward, glancing of of walls and furniture so fast it was just a blur. Kiba whirled around, trying to keep track of its crazy trajectory.

All of a sudden, Kiba's eyes widened and he was thrown off of his feet. He landed heavily on the floor next to Hinata, the metal spike penetrating right into his chest. He coughed up a mouthful of blood as pain exploded through him. He felt like he was on fire, but he could scream.

"…K-Kiba…" Whispered a voice to his right.

Hinata was facing him, having managed to turn her head towards him with the last of her strength. A tear trickled from the corner of her eye from where she lay on her stomach, a puddle of blood soaking into the carpet around her.

"Hinata…" Kiba replied, hardly able to speak as he forced his head to face her.

"Kiba…thank you…for…what you did…" said the girl, reaching out a hand towards his.

"…Hinata…I…" Kiba began to say his own hand trying to grasp Hinata's, but suddenly stopped when he saw that her eyes had fallen unfocused and her arm lay limply on the carpet. She was dead.

Kiba coughed up more blood for the last time, before he too shuddered and went still.

"KYAHAHAHAHA!" Laughed Beatrice, her eyes screwed up in delight.

"Oooh…you make me laugh so much with your pointless ways, furniture!" She sighed, calming herself, "However, do you think that that is the last way in which I shall play with you? Come; let me show just how much I can disgrace you!"

Beatrice held out on of her slender hands. She twirled the long golden pipe once in her fingers, and brought it to her lips. She inhaled deeply before drawing the pipe away. With one slow breath she blew the smoke over Kiba's dead body until I covered him completely. Then, as a sick smile stretched her lips, the body rose a foot or so above the ground, and then dropped, sinking through the floor and disappearing completely.

The room was silent, the only person remaining being the crumpled body of Hinata, one arm stretching out towards nothing, a growing puddle of blood surrounding her.

Meanwhile, the drawing room was still occupied by Hanabi, Neji, Tenten, Deidara, Hidan, Kakuzu and Sasori. All of them were silent, faces creased up in concentration as they thought about the day's events.

Finally, Tenten broke the silence.

"Why…" She began, "Why did the murderer kill in such a hideous way? It doesn't make any sense…and there's also the matter of that weird writing on the door to the chapel. The symbol painted in blood, remember?"

"Kihihihihi!" laughed Hinata from the other side of the room from where she was still reading the puzzle book.

"Don't you know what that drawing meant, Tenten? It was the seventh pentacle of the sun!" The young girl said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Suddenly, Neji stood up and strode over to Hanabi. His face was drawn, as he raised his right hand and struck his cousin across the face.

"Didn't I tell you not to laugh in that stupid way?" he snarled at her.

Tenten looked at her team mate with wide eyed surprise on her face. Neji scarcely behaved so rashly, always remaining calm and collected whatever the situation. However, lately she had to admit that he had been changing for the worse.

"Neji!" She called to him, her eyes narrowed.

"Stop it! Hanabi, what does this pentacle mean, exactly?" She asked the young girl kindly.

"It illustrates escaping from captivity. The writing that you saw around the edges and in the middle symbolised offering sacrifices in order to complete a ceremony."

"You mean…Lee and the others…were sacrifices?" Tenten asked quietly.

Hanabi grinned.

"But there's one more thing that I don't understand." Tenten continued, "Hanabi was given the only key to the chapel, wasn't she? And there is only one door, which was locked since we all arrived on the island. Moreover, doesn't it mean that the key Hanabi was given was inside her bag until this morning? How did the murderer get inside the chapel and leave whilst the door remained locked the whole time?"

At that moment, the scene froze, once more drained of colour and caught inside a single moment. Deidara and Beatrice appeared out the cloud of butterflies as before, the witch reclining in one of the armchair, a smile of amusement on her face.

"So, Deidara." Beatrice purred, "Try and explain that rationally for me! Try and show me how a human could have committed a crime in that closed room situation."

"Gah…this is ridiculous…" Growled Deidara as he scratched his head, "There isn't enough information here for me to make a balance conclusion. As far as I know, there may another key or a secret passage way or something like that."

"Oh? Then here…I have an idea." Beatrice said, clicking her long fingers with a smile.

"Whenever I state the truth, my words will be displayed in red around me." The witch said. As she did so, the phrases she uttered appeared around her, the letters glowing with red light. Golden butterflies fluttered around the visual sentence as it wove around Beatrice before disappearing.

Deidara stared at her, trying to understand what he just saw.

"What…the hell…." Deidara muttered, his eyes transfixed on the empty space that had been occupied by Beatrice's truth a second ago.

"How about we make it a new rule for our little game?" Asked the witch. "That way, you will have sounder basis for your arguments, but in my favour, you will be unable to escape from situations by saying 'I don't have enough information' or 'there is an alternative'. From this moment, whenever my words are displayed in red, I am telling the truth."

"W-wait a second!" Deidara spluttered, "Then how come you don't just say that witches exist in red?"

"Oh, Deidara! That would ruin the fun of the game! I want to make you surrender and watch you submit to me before I am victorious!" Laughed the witch cruelly.

"Very well…I accept this new rule. In which case, I want you repeat this! Pein, Itachi and the others who were killed all passed through the door to the chapel before they were found!" Deidara commanded.

"As you wish. Regardless of whether they were dead or alive, all six victims passed through the door to the chapel."

The words and letters glimmered scarlet as they appeared around Beatrice, swirling around her as she spoke before dissolving into nothing.

"Now, explain how it happened! Deidara said.

"No," Beatrice said, holding up her hand, "The Red Truth is merely a fact, me stating a truth. The point of the game is that you explain it. Your turn."

"Uh…the culprit must have had a duplicate key, allowing them to enter the chapel by human means!"

"Hehehe…there is only one key to the chapel." Laughed the witch, the red words once more floating around her.

"Then…the culprit must have used a lock pick or other means to open the door!" Said Deidara, getting more desperate.

"There is no way to enter the chapel by any other means than the key to the door." The witch stated in red.

"Argh…then…if the key in Hanabi's bag was the only one, no one touched it since it was placed there until Neji removed it to open the chapel! See, you can't repeat that can you?" Deidara said with a smile.

Beatrice's eyes narrowed.

"Since the point where Hanabi was given the key by 'Beatrice' in the garden, someone must have taken it from her bag whilst we were all asleep in the guest house. Then, once they had committed the murder and set up the disgusting scene in the chapel, they left and locked the door on their way out before replacing it in Hanabi's bag!" Deidara said triumphantly.

"That way, the crime was committed without the use of magic!"

"Very good…" Beatrice purred. She stood up and paced over to Deidara.

"However, if you're going to deny magic exists, you'll have to suspect one of your comrades or friends…its like you're writing your own death warrant…either way, Deidara, you will not beat me! KYAHAHAHAHA!"


	28. Accusation

**Chapter twenty-eight.**

**I do not own Umineko or Naruto.**

**Beato's going to start getting even nastier now...**

The drawing room returned to colour and movement as with one last laugh, Beatrice disappeared along with the flustered Deidara, allowing the scene to continue. Hanabi was staring at the rest of the room's inhabitants, grinning wildly. Neji stood by her, looking frustrated and anxious.

"Can't your see?" The girl asked the party animatedly, her eyes wide, "Beatrice wants to find out which of us can figure out the riddle of the epitaph!"

Kakuzu looked at her sceptically, arms crossed.

"Oh, and what about you? Tell me, do you know what it means then?"

"I'm not going to try." Said Hanabi. Her face snapped around so she stared at Kakuzu, eyes so wide they looked unhinged.

"I want to you to the golden land. I won't get in Lady Beatrice's way! Kihihihihi!"

Kakuzu looked slightly unnerved by the girl's reaction, but shrugged it off, shaking his masked head wearily.

Suddenly, the double doors that lead into the room from the hallway opened with a creak. They all whipped around to see Shikamaru and Kisame enter. Both looked slightly worried and agitated.

"What happened? Have you sent word?" Neji demanded.

"Not exactly..." Kisame began.

"All of our messenger birds are missing. Someone had killed them. When we found where we had left their cages, all of the birds were dead, their throats slashed open." Shikamaru said.

"But, how did the culprit get at them? The cages were locked!"

"That's just the thing; the cages were locked when we found them. Somehow, the culprit killed them without opening the cage." Kisame replied with a sigh.

Shikamaru closed his eyes and scratched his head. He then crossed the room, walking towards where Neji was standing with his face in shadow.

"Neji, in Kakashi's...absence, you will become squad leader. You are after all the most senior rank among us remaining Konoha nin." Shikamaru said. He then reached into his bag and took out a strange shaped object, handing it to Neji.

"Neji, we also found this. After we found the dead birds, we went to the dining room to check where we left our weapons when we formed or truce with the Akatsuki. They have all disappeared. Not just ours, but the Akatsuki's too. Then we found this."

Neji held the object curiously. It was a long and stout gun with ornate carved wood edging to it. Weapons such as these were hard to come by, and Neji had never seen one before. In fact, there were none at all in the leaf village and almost anywhere else. He trained the weapon on nothing in particular. It was already loaded with bullets.

"Why would the culprit leave such a dangerous implement for us to find?" Deidara asked, perplexed. The object interested him greatly, albeit mostly because it relied on an explosion to work.

"I don't know but, as squad leader, I am going to keep it on my person. That way, I will at least be either able to protect you or buy some time if things get rough." Neji explained. At a time like now, whether they were Konoha or Akatsuki didn't matter.

They all sat in silence for a while, waiting for something to happen. Outside, the rain was getting heavier once more and the wind showed no sign of calming down.

"It's been quiet a while..." Tenten sighed, "Isn't it time we checked on Kiba and Hinata? We haven't seen them in ages...something might have happened."

"Yes...but we ought to go together, just in case." Neji said, gripping the heavy gun tightly.

"This is like a 'wolves and sheep' puzzle." He added.

Deidara looked at him, confused.

The party made its way along the corridor, their combined footsteps echoing through the otherwise silent old house. Within a couple of minutes, they had reached the door to Hinata's room. Something was instantly wrong.

"W-what the hell is this?" Gasped Tenten as she looked at the surface of the oak door, her hands flying to her mouth.

On the dark wood was painted another symbol, much like the first that they had seen on the door to the chapel. It was painted in blood. The scarlet substance was splashed against the door in odd shapes and sentences that framed them.

"Hinata! I'm sorry but we're coming in." Shikamaru said quickly. He took out the master key from his pocket, the one that Kakashi had given him that they had found before it all began. It clicked in the lock and the door swung open.

Hinata's body lay alone in the centre of the room, a puddle of blood soaked into the carpet around her.

"Hinata!" Tenten cried and dashed into the room.

Shikamaru soon followed her as they ran to the body. They turned the corpse over so that Hinata's white face stared blankly up at them. Kakuzu approached and knelt down, looking at the body with an unreadable face.

"It hasn't been very long since she died..." He said.

"And what about Kiba?" Tenten said, standing up and looking around the room.

"The culprit might have taken him away! We have to go and search for him, right now!" Tenten shouted.

"Quiet!" Neji commanded.

Tenten begrudging sighed and went silent. Neji strode over to the bed side table, looked at it, and then turned back to the others, the gun held securely in his arms.

"Does anyone know what this key opens?" Neji asked as he held up a small key that he had picked up from the bedside table.

"That's the key that solely opens this room. Hinata probably had it with her." Shikamaru said, his quick mind working overtime.

"And how many keys are there to this room?" Neji demanded.

"Well, there's Hinata's key and the five master keys that we were given yesterday. They can open any door in the house excluding the chapel and the study on the second floor." Shikamaru replied.

"Which of you has these keys?" Asked Neji.

"I do. So did...no...does Kiba. Tenten also has one." Shikamaru said.

"As do I and Kisame." Kakuzu added.

"I see." Neji said, his eyes narrowed in thought.

In an instant, the room became frozen and devoid of colour. As before, the cloud of glowing golden butterflies heralded the arrival of Deidara and Beatrice. Deidara looked at the witch, before his eyes lit up in realisation.

"H-hang on, I'm pretty sure that in the previous game, the number of keys that could unlock any door was never disclosed!"

"Well, the more master keys that exist, the greater my disadvantage. For example, even if I go to all the trouble of creating a perfect closed room, you would simply dismiss it by saying something like they used a duplicate key..." Beatrice replied coolly.

"Therefore: There is one key for each one of these people; Tenten, Shikamaru, Kiba, Kakuzu and Kisame. That makes a total of five master keys." Beatrice declared using the red truth rule. Deidara sighed as the words glowing scarlet faded around them.

"So...why is Neji so interested?" Deidara asked.

Beatrice grinned cruelly, before both she and Deidara disappeared and colour, life and movement returned to the scene.

"Well, Hinata's key is right here." Neji explained his eyes stern. "That means that one of you five with a master key must have locked this door, after committing the crime! Now, Tenten was with us the whole time, which means the culprit must have been either Kisame, Shikamaru, Kakuzu or Kiba."

"Hey, wait a minute!" Deidara said suddenly, "What about that Beatrice woman who was here? She may not be a witch but she's still a suspect."

"However, Beatrice did not have one of the master keys. Therefore, she could not have done it. So, which one of you was it? Perhaps you, Shikamaru or Kisame did it when you were telling us you were checking on the messenger birds. Or perhaps, Kakuzu, since you followed Kiba and Hinata here, you killed them both and then came back to meet us in the drawing room, pretending innocence!" Neji exclaimed.

"That's ridiculous!" Shikamaru exclaimed.

"This is the first time I've entered this room today, I am not guilty!" Growled Kakuzu.

"In which case, the most suspicious person is Kiba." Neji said coolly.

"W-what do you mean? Kiba wouldn't do something like that!" Tenten cried.

"Kiba, who had one master key, could have killed Hinata when he left Kakuzu and took Hinata here. Then, having committed the crime, he left, locking the door behind him. However, we can also suppose that Kiba was killed by the culprit as well, who stole his master key, locked Hinata here and hid Kiba's corpse elsewhere in the mansion." Neji explained.

Tenten looked at the floor silently, her eyes heavy with sadness.

"Whether Beatrice is the culprit or not, it seems highly likely that she was working with Kiba." Said Neji.

Once again the room froze and went grey as Deidara and Beatrice reappeared.

"Urgh…that is a convincing argument…" Groaned Deidara unhappily.

"Heh, if you don't like it, just try and prove that someone else committed the crime without using magic!" Laughed the witch triumphantly.

"No…no, I refuse to recognise that magic exists!" Deidara snarled.

Beatrice grinned, her eyes narrowed, as the scene once again regained it's colour and life.

"Also, this may have something to do with the gold that reputedly exists somewhere on the island. I have a feeling that Beatrice may have either bought Kiba's help in the crime, or he may be trying to get all of the gold for himself. Either, we should consider him as dangerous from now on, so if you see him unharmed, make sure you don't let down your guard." Neji continued.

"B-but!" Began Shikamaru.

"From now, we will assume that Kiba is the culprit who murdered Hinata, until we can prove his innocence!" Neji affirmed.


	29. Wolves and Sheep

**Chapter *dun dun dun* twenty-nine!**

**Oh Neji, use your head…**

**I do not own Umineko or Naruto!**

"Wait a minute, Neji!" Deidara said, crossing his arms as he looked at the one in question, "We can't assume that Kiba is the culprit yet! If anything, he is innocent. After all, you have no proof!"

Deidara didn't know why he was defending the Konoha nin, but part of him just knew that something wasn't right here.

"Oh? So explain what happened then." Neji said sceptically.

"Kakuzu." Deidara said, turning to the masked man who looked back at him steadily.

"You were with Kiba and Hinata before this happened. Can you tell us what happened when you went with them to Beatrice's room?" Asked Deidara.

"Well, the door was locked, so Kiba gave Hinata his master key so that she could open the door to Beatrice's room…" Kakuzu began.

"Wait, I see what where you're going!" Tenten said, life returning to her dull eyes, "If Hinata still has the key that Kiba gave her on her person, then Kiba can't have locked the door after killing her!"

"Exactly, Tenten." Deidara said as Tenten blushed slightly.

"If I am right, then Kiba's master key should still be in her pocket!" Deidara declared.

"I'll have a look…" Shikamaru said quickly as he turned back to Hinata's corpse.

Shikamaru carefully rolled her limp body over and reached into the pocket of her lavender hoodie. His eyes widened as he drew out a small silver key.

"Th-this is it!" He said, sounding slightly surprised.

"There is my proof," Deidara said, "Kiba could not have left and locked the door behind him!"

"However, unless you can explain to me where Kiba is right now, he is still suspicious and a suspect." Neji said, crossing him arms.

"I don't know what happened…maybe the culprit has kidnapped him, or maybe they've…already killed him, but we can't assume that he's the murderer just yet." Deidara said sternly.

"In which case we are no further than we were before! Either Kakuzu, Shikamaru or Kisame locked this door, so are the main suspects!" Neji said, gripping the gun tighter than ever.

"Wait!" Tenten said, standing next to Deidara and in front of Kakuzu, Kisame and Shikamaru. It was true she had no compassion whatsoever for Kisame or Kakuzu, but when she thought about it, Shikamaru would never kill Hinata.

"I've known Shikamaru for years. He's trusted and well known in our village, you know that Neji! He would never do a thing like this!" She said, her eyes desperate.

"Yeah, and Kisame was with him the whole time, right?" Deidara intoned, looking at Shikamaru, who nodded, "I can't see them having anything to do with it. And also, once Kiba and Hinata had gone to Hinata's room, Kakuzu returned straight away to meet us, there was no way he could have killed them both in that time."

Although, Deidara thought to himself, Kakuzu probably wouldn't have minded getting his hands of ten tonnes of gold…

The scene suddenly went grey, as before, frozen in that pocket of time as Beatrice and Deidara appeared. Deidara looked at the stationary black and white image of himself in the room and shook his head. He would never get used to it. Beatrice was clapping her elegant hands softly, a grin on her face.

"Very good, Deidara…" She purred as she regarded him.

"However, you still haven't told me who actually did lock the door! Like I said before, there are no duplicate keys here, only the ones that the five carry. So, Deidara, just try and crack this closed room!"

Deidara gritted his teeth, and a bead of sweat ran down his face.

"Firstly, allow me to add to the situation." The witch said silkily.

"There are no hidden doors in this room. The only way in or out is the main door, and the only way to open that door is with one of the five keys that belong to Kiba, Kisame, Tenten, Shikamaru and Kakuzu. The windows are also locked from the inside." The witch said using the red truth, words and letters shimmering crimson as they wove around both her and Deidara.

"Then, allow me to make my move." Deidara said his eyes cold and narrowed.

"As you wish." Said the witch.

"Repeat this using the red truth: Kiba was killed in this room!" Deidara commanded.

"Very well, Kiba was killed in this room." Beatrice replied in red.

"Alright and now this: Kiba's body is in this room!"

"I refuse." The witch said with a smile, "Are you blind? I erased his corpse with magic!"

"Fine…and lastly: The last time this door was locked, it was with one of the five master keys belonging to Kiba, Kakuzu, Tenten, Kisame and Shikamaru."

"I refuse." Beatrice said.

"Urgh…I can't tell what you mean…are you refusing because you can't repeat it, or because you just want to confuse me even more?"

"In which case, I will allow you a little more information…" The witch said with a grin.

"When the door is locked, there is no way to enter or exit through it by any means. Also, you cannot lock the door from the outside unless you use a key." Beatrice stated using the red truth.

Deidara sighed and scratched his head.

"This is all a bit much for me…but, I refuse to acknowledge that magic was the basis for this crime!"

"Oh, but of course it was!" Beatrice purred smugly.

"No! There has to be some kind of human trick to this scenario!" Deidara exclaimed.

"Ahahaha!" laughed Beatrice, "It's you who have put yourself out of options, Deidara, you fool. Five of these people own master keys, do they not? You are free to suspect any one of them!"

"But, it makes no sense that any of them are the culprit!" Deidara groaned.

"Then you have created this closed room situation all by yourself! You have restricted your options, and in so doing put a noose around your own neck!" Declared the witch triumphantly.

As Beatrice's hysterical laughter died away, both she and Deidara disappeared once more, allowing to room to return to life. The remaining Deidara sighed and looked at the floor, his eyes heavy. Tenten looked at him with concern.

"I…give up." He murmured.

"W-what?" Tenten asked, surprised.

"I may have been able to prove that Kiba did not lock this door, but I haven't found the culprit…that means that you're still a suspect, Tenten." He sighed

"No. Thank you, Deidara, for helping Kiba…you didn't have to, after all." Tenten replied with a small smile.

"Don't thank me yet. I still don't know who locked the door, or how. I should also apologize to you, Neji, even though I hate to say it, I have been very uncooperative. I guess I was just desperate to find out the perpetrator of this crime."

"I also apologize. I may have acted too rashly, back there." Neji said begrudgingly.

One hour later, the remaining party was gathered back in the parlour. Around them lay stacks of open tins and jars of food, everything from tinned pineapple to pickled onions. Having realised it had been at least two days since most of them had last eaten, they had decided to retrieve some supplies from the kitchen.

Tenten sat next to Hanabi as she chewed a piece of tinned salmon, trying not to let the thought of the mutilated corpses in the chapel spoil her appetite. She looked curiously over to see what Hanabi was reading in the puzzle book that she was still absorbed with.

"Hey, that's the sheep and wolves puzzle that Neji was talking about earlier right?" She asked.

Deidara walked over and sat next to her ignoring her pink face as he too looked at the puzzle.

"Oh, I've heard of this one. Some wolves and sheep have to cross a river on a boat, two at a time, right? And if there are more wolves than sheep on either bank at any time, the sheep get eaten." He said.

"If there are more wolves than sheep…the sheep get eaten…" Tenten repeated to herself.

Neji stood up abruptly. He had been deep in conversation with Kakuzu, but now he addressed them all.

"Listen," He said, "Kakuzu is going to return to the kitchen to dispose of the waste tins and food. We don't want the enemy to be able to track us. Tenten, Shikamaru, Kisame and Sasori…could you go with him? It's unsafe to move in a small numbers right now."

The others nodded and stood up to leave, clearing away the detritus. Deidara looked curiously at Neji. It was interesting how he had stepped up into the role of command so easily.

"Neji, may I go with Tenten and the others?" He asked.

"No. I need to talk to you about something." Neji replied sternly.

"See you later, Deidara." Smiled Tenten before she and the others vacated the room, leaving Hidan, Neji, Deidara, Hanabi

Deidara watched them leave silently. Neji stood at the door, his gun in hand. Once they were a suitable distance away, he turned and closed her door before facing the remaining people in the room.

"Good. It seems I've driven out the wolves." He said.


	30. The Prince Returns

**Chapter thirty!**

**Whoa…thirty chapters already?**

**I do not own Umineko no Naku Koro Ni or Naruto.**

"With any luck, we should be safe now." Neji said with a deep sigh as he looked around the room.

"And how do you work that out?" Hidan asked imperiously. He wasn't overly keen on Neji taking charge in the situation at all.

"Simple. Those who had keys are the only possible suspects for the crime. With them gone, we are far less likely to be in danger." Neji explained patiently.

"But, what if one of the others is a sheep? They'll be alone with the wolves, which would surely put them in danger! Tenten could be in danger! Or any of them!" Deidara burst out, standing up and facing Neji with clenched fists.

"But Tenten could be a wolf!" Pointed out Neji, his glare matching Deidara's, "She wasn't one of the first six to be killed, now was she?"

"But you can't prove that their guilty!" Hidan yelled, also leaping to his feet and glowering at Neji.

"And you can't prove that their innocent!" Countered Neji, his voice also rising.

"Wait a minute, Neji." Deidara said, calming down and crossing his arms in thought, "How can you prove to us that you aren't a wolf then?" He asked sceptically.

"Easily," Said Neji with a small smile, "With this."

Suddenly, he gripped the gun tightly and pointed it at Deidara, and then at Hidan.

"If I had wanted to kill you, I could have done so many times already, and made it look like an accident, or even claim that Beatrice had done it. The fact that I am the only one here with a powerful weapon and yet I have not used it to harm anyone is proof in itself, yes?" He explained.

"You may just be waiting for the opportunity!" Countered Deidara.

"Well you're just going to have to trust me, aren't you?" Said Neji, eyes narrowed.

Meanwhile, the rest of the remaining group stood or sat around the kitchen, all wearing expressions of anxiety or suspicion. Shikamaru had found another hidden stash of food under the sink and was rifling through it, seeing if there was anything worth eating. None of them felt particularly like venturing back out into the corridors just yet.

"It's a pity Neji hadn't seemed so eager to get rid of us." Kisame commented as he poked at a tin of sardines sceptically, "We could have brought some of this extra food back with us."

"Still, it's not all bad." Tenten said, smiling weakly, "We still get to enjoy Shikamaru's excellent cooking!"

Shikamaru looked up, red faced, from a plate of assorted tinned meat he was trying to arrange. He looked mutinously at Tenten, who was laughing. However, he was grateful, as at least she was trying to keep everyone's spirits up.

"Well, I made sure that all of the ingredients were sealed properly, so we shouldn't have to worry about poison." He said with a sigh.

Suddenly, there was a crash and a thud from the door at the back of the kitchen that led out into the garden. Everyone jumped in surprise, their eyes widening. None of them seemed to want to investigate. Finally, Kisame stood up from his seat at the small table and walked slowly over to the door.

"Wait! It could be a trap!" Cried Tenten.

Kisame ignored her, and opened the door slowly. All of a sudden, he leapt backwards as something fell forwards onto him, and then onto the floor. Blood was smeared down the front of Kisame's robes. Whatever the thing was, it was bleeding profusely.

"Kiba!" Yelled Shikamaru as he recognised the body. He ran over to the shivering boy and knelt down beside him. He was alive!

"Sasori, you know about some medical stuff right? And you too, Kakuzu! Can you come here please?" Shikamaru called.

Surprisingly, the two Akatsuki nodded and walked over to Kiba's trembling body, kneeling down beside him, despite their allegiance. Kakuzu rolled Kiba over onto his back, and his eyes widened. On Kiba's chest was a hideous open wound that sank deep into his flesh. Blood poured from the hole. Kakuzu clasped Kiba's hand and moved it so it was held tightly over the injury.

"Kiba! Hold on tight, put pressure on the wound." Kakuzu ordered.

Kiba nodded weakly and did as he was told. Blood welled up between his fingers, and he grunted in pain.

"I'll go and tell Neji and the others!" Shikamaru exclaimed, leaping to his feet and crossing to the door.

"…N-no!" Gasped Kiba, throwing out his blood-stained hand desperately, "Don't…t-tell….Neji…" He panted

"What? Why, Kiba?" Tenten asked, curiously.

"Neji's…the murderer!" Kiba managed to force out before he convulsed in pain.

Everyone in the room was on their feet now, staring at Kiba with mixed feelings of surprise, disbelief and anger.

"I knew it! We never should have trusted him!" Kisame spat.

"But…that means that Deidara, Hidan and Hanabi could be in danger…" Sasori intoned smoothly, his eyes the only ones still devoid of much emotion.

Kiba's blood was spreading, creating a scarlet puddle around him.

"We can't treat Kiba in here." Commented Kakuzu briskly, "Is there anywhere else we can take him?"

"There's what looks like a servant's quarters just up the corridor from here," Shikamaru said quickly, "We can carry him there. It'll be more comfortable for him and he'd have a better chance."

The group nodded and filed out of the kitchen, Kakuzu having picked up Kiba's limp body, blood dripping onto the floor in his wake. Within a few minutes, they were all gathered around Kiba's form as he rested on a dark brown sofa in the servant's room. Tenten looked at him, her expression unreadable. Suddenly, after a quick glance around her at the walls and ceiling, she turned on her heal and left the small room, running down the deserted corridor. She kept running, her footsteps pounding the dull red carpet, until she reached a plain door. She opened it, and ran down a flight of steps to the basement. She cast her gaze around the dark room, her face full of anxiety.

"Come on, come on! Ah! There it is!" She cried.

At that moment, the rest of the depleted group of ninja were still gathered around Kiba on the sofa having not noticed Tenten's swift departure. Kiba now lay outstretched, his top having been removed and a bandage wrapped tight around the wound on his chest.

"We need to be careful around Neji, if he is indeed the killer. We mustn't provoke him…" Shikamaru said, although it was clear his distress was giving him trouble thinking straight.

"They said it, you know…" Kiba whispered.

Everyone looked at him. Had his voice changed?

"Who said what?" Kisame asked.

"They will slaughter all of us. Not will survive. Just like Hinata…just like me…killed…" Kiba murmured, his voice gaining strength with every syllable.

Suddenly, the injured boy moved his legs off of the sofa, swinging them onto the floor. He stood up straight, not making a sound, his eyes hidden in the shadow of his hair.

"Kiba…! Doesn't that hurt? Sit down before you injure yourself even more!" Spluttered Shikamaru, as he and the others moved backwards in shock. Something was wrong. Kiba looked at them, and his eyes were wrong as well.

"Hmmm? This?" He asked silkily.

He reached up and grasped the join in the bandage and started to slowly unwrap it. Despite the other's cried to stop, he carried until the deeply pierced wound was clearly visible, contrasting brilliantly with his pale white skin. He threw the bandages to one side. A broad and yet disturbing grin stretched his lips.

"It's no bother…" He purred.

Kiba then lifted his hand once more, and stuck his fingers into the deep wound to prove his point. It squelched repulsively as a dribble of blood ran down his bare chest. He moved them around as the wound continued to leak blood that spattered onto the floor.

"Stop it Kiba!" Ordered Shikamaru, abjectly disgusted.

"What are you doing?" Kisame demanded, stepping backwards once more.

Suddenly, the door to the servant's quarters burst open, and in the doorway stood Tenten. Her face was full of determination and defiance.

"Tell me, are you _really_ Kiba?" She snarled. She lifted one hand so he could clearly see. Wrapped around her fingers was a gossamer thin spider web that glistened in the light. She narrowed her eyes.

"What do you mean?" Kiba replied, tensing, closing his eyes.

"If you really are Kiba, then if I tough you with this it will do no harm." Tenten said as she advanced towards Kiba. Kisame and Sasori approached behind her curiously.

"However, if you are not Kiba and spiders are your natural enemy, I expect you wouldn't want this anywhere near you will you?" She continued.

At that moment, Kiba's eyes snapped open. The iris was pure scarlet. There was a blinding flash of blue light, Kiba's arm swiping through the air. Tenten jumped right at the last moment out of the way, landing a couple of feet from him.

Kiba stood in the centre of the room, his face murderous, a long blue blade composed of pure light emanating from his arm and past his hand.

Kisame uttered a horrible gurgling cry, and fell forward. His throat had been slashed open by Kiba's swipe. By his side, Sasori also fell over as vile purple liquid spurted from the only organic part of his body. Sasori's heart had been slashed open as well. Scarlet blood mixed with violet fluid as both of them lay dead on the ground.

Kiba locked eyes with Tenten. They were burning crimson with hate.


	31. Die Again

**Chapter thirty-one.**

**Thank you to everyone who actually reads these, I'm very grateful!**

**I do not own Umineko or Naruto!**

Shikamaru went deathly white as he looked at the two corpses on the ground, pools of blood spreading out from each of their severed necks.

Kiba snarled and launched himself toward Tenten, his arm outstretched and the blade upon it gleaming with sapphire light. He was moving to fast for Tenten to duck out of the way, his lips twisted into a cruel triumphant grin.

Suddenly, Shikamaru leapt between the two, pushing Tenten to the side before falling heavily to the ground himself. Kiba span around to face them, scowling and glowering. Tenten scrambled to her feet and faced him, tense.

"Kakuzu!" Yelled Shikamaru as Kiba advanced on him.

The Akatsuki member nodded. Before Kiba could turn around, Kakuzu had rammed into him, smashing the boy against the wall behind them. Kiba yelled out in pain and anger. Kakuzu held firmly onto the boy's shoulders, forcing him to the wall. Kakuzu looked up just as Kiba raised his blade arm high above his head, preparing to strike his opponent.

Shikamaru looked up and saw that if he didn't do something right at that moment, Kakuzu was going to have his head removed. He snatched one of the metal skewers that they had been using to cook the tinned food, aimed, and threw it hard at Kiba. He hated himself for it, but knew that this was not Kiba, but something demonic in his guise.

"Urghaaaargh!" Screamed Kiba as pain contorted his pale face.

The skewer had pierced his fore arm that bore the blade of azure light, pinning it to the wall behind as the metal spike embedded itself into the surface. Blood ran down his arm as he pulled and struggled to wrench himself free. However, as much as he tugged, the skewer had sunk right through the middle of his arm and would not budge from its place in the wall.

Kiba turned his attention from his arm and back to Kakuzu, struggling and kicking the Akatsuki member more than ever.

"Let go of me, you son of a…" He began, but shut up and increased his efforts as he saw Tenten approach quickly, her hand holding the spider web outstretched.

Kiba struggled even more violently, but Kakuzu wouldn't allow him to escape. Tenten ran forwards and pressed the spider web onto his chest. She flinched as he let out a shriek that could have broken all of the glass in the room, but held firm, forcing the silky web onto his bare skin. He began to smoke all over, as if he was burning inside a furnace. His screams and yells intensified until suddenly, he exploded into a flock of golden butterflies that quickly vanished, leaving no sign that Kiba had been there at all. Even the blood that had spattered the wall from his arm had disappeared, although the skewer remained firmly rooted to the surface.

"What the hell…was that thing?" Shikamaru said quietly, staring at the space in which whatever it was had been.

Kakuzu was staring at his hands in a quizzical sort of way.

"You all saw that thing right? It killed Sasori and Kisame…where did it go?" He asked no one in particular, although his eyes were unsteady.

Meanwhile, Deidara looked out of the window at the sun as it sank once more below the sea's hazy horizon. At least the rain had finally petered out. He wished he could think of way they could all escape the blasted island, but with no chakra and no way to contact the mainland, they were well and truly isolated.

Suddenly, there was a frantic knocking on the large double door that led into the room from the hallway. Neji stood up instantly, crossing the room to face the door, the gun held tight in his hands. Hidan and Hanabi also looked up anxiously, a bead of sweat running down Hidan's face.

"Who is it?" Neji demanded.

The door opened slowly, and into the room slipped Tenten, Kakuzu and Shikamaru. All of them were panting heavily as if they had run all the way there.

"What's happened? Why are you all so out of breath, and covered in blood?" Neji exclaimed as he saw the scarlet stains all over the three of them.

"I…I don't know what happened…I can't explain…" Shikamaru stammered. He was staring at the purple and crimson patches all over his clothing with a sort of shocked disbelief.

"Come now, what happened!" Neji demanded.

"Kisame and Sasori…they're dead." Tenten said softly, looking up at Deidara sadly.

Deidara's eyes widened. Danna? Dead? He could not apprehend it…Sasori no Danna had always been so strong and confident in his art. If an artist of such prestige had been taken down so quickly, what chance did any of them stand?

Tenten's eyes shone with sorrow as she looked at Deidara. She knew that although He and Sasori had not always seen eye to eye, Deidara had somewhat admired his team-mate. She wanted to go over and comfort him, but was wary of Neji and his gun, even if he was not what the Kiba-demon had said he was.

"How can they be? Who did it?" Neji asked insistently.

"I don't know! I can't even work out if what I saw even could have happened!" Moaned Shikamaru, burying his head in his hands.

"Pull yourself together dammit Shikamaru!" Neji scolded, "Either it is Beatrice, who none of us can find, or Kiba, who went missing earlier!"

"Neji! Calm down!" Deidara barked, crossing his arms.

"Tenten, you saw it to right? What happened?" He asked more softly.

"Well, they came to the back door of the kitchen. They were bleeding really heavily with a huge wound in their chest and…" Tenten began.

"WHO WAS IT?" Neji shouted his eyes wide.

Tenten flinched.

"At first, I thought that was Kiba." Said Kakuzu, taking control of the situation.

"Aha! I knew that it was him. My theory was correct." Neji said with a grin.

"Wait a minute…what do you mean, 'at first'?" Hidan cut in, eyeing Kakuzu suspiciously.

"It really is difficult for me to explain in words what happened after that. He murdered Kisame and Sasori, and then disappeared." Kakuzu said, looking down.

"Do you agree with this Tenten?" Deidara asked.

Tenten nodded.

"I see," Neji said with a sigh, "We won't get anywhere fast like this. We need to go and see for ourselves what happened."

"What? You mean check the corpses?" Hidan asked, looking around at Neji.

"Well, yes. If we all go together as a group we ought to be safe." He replied.

The ticking of the large grandfather clock in the hall accompanied there footsteps as they walked as a party through the dimly lit corridors to the servant's quarters where the corpses had been left. The door was tightly locked shut as they had secured it earlier when they had departed.

"Hanabi, you stay here okay?" Tenten said to the younger girl who stood at the back of the group. Hanabi nodded and looked up at Tenten with an unreadable face.

Neji looked at Shikamaru, who nodded and passed him his master key. It clicked in the lock, and the door slowly swung open. Shikamaru gasped as he stepped into the room. Both the corpses of Kisame and Sasori had vanished.

"What on earth?" Shikamaru said, staring around the room.

There was a pool of scarlet blood and a pool of vile looking purple liquid in the centre of the room where the bodies had lain, but the bodies themselves were nowhere to be seen.

"W-what's going on? Where are they?" Neji said, his voice faltering for the first time in a long while.

"Kakuzu, you locked this door didn't you?" Asked Deidara, his face pale.

"Y-yes, definitely." Replied the masked Akatsuki member.

"Then how did the culprit remove the bodies through a locked door? Urgh…this is just like what happened in Hinata's room…where do all of these corpses keep going?" Deidara asked.

"Even if Kiba is the murderer, he shouldn't have a master key…" Kakuzu said it with a sigh, "He gave it to Hinata, and then Shikamaru took it from Hinata's pocket."

"Wait, Kiba could have a master key!" Neji said, "He killed Kisame according to you. Did you remove the master key that Kisame carried before you left the room?"

"N-no, we didn't…" Tenten said with sudden realisation.

"Please, Neji, we promise you that we are not lying!" Insisted Shikamaru urgently.

"Quiet." Neji said.

In his hands was a pale cream letter.

"What? That's just like the ones in Beatrice's room and the chapel!" Burst out Deidara.

"I know, it was placed here on this table. Shhh, I'll read it." Neji said.

He removed the letter from the envelope, smoothed it out, and began to read.

"_Remaining members of Konoha and Akatsuki, I wonder if you're enjoying the riddle so far. Have you figured out the epitaph of mine yet? The only way for you to stop me is if you solve the epitaph and find my hidden gold. No matter what you try, you cannot hope to stop me or the ceremony any other way. I hope that you understand that fact. You cannot search for me. You cannot run from me. You cannot deny me. Beatrice the Golden."_


	32. Splitting

**Chapter thirty-two.**

**Has anyone noticed that someone's missing?  
I do not own Naruto or Umineko no Naku Koro Ni!**

Everyone in the room gave a sharp intake of breath as they heard Neji read the letter. Kakuzu crossed his arms in disbelief and Hidan put his hands on his hips irritably.

"Oh come on! This is ridiculous!" He spluttered.

"Wait a minute, there's more." Neji said, holding up a hand for silence before he looked back at the letter and continued to read.

"_By the way, I hope you don't mind if I borrow these two corpses for the ceremony. Also, I here return something of yours. I won't be needing it." _Neji said

Neji picked up the discarded envelope and shook it. There was a rattling sound from inside, so he tipped the envelope open, and a metal object dropped into his outstretched palm. It was Kisame's key.

Suddenly, the scene froze like it had done so many times before, the expressions of shock and incredulity caught on each of the unmoving characters.

Beatrice laughed as she appeared, mocking the expression of desperate frustration on Deidara's face as he too appeared beside her.

"What!" Deidara spluttered, "You mean that the only people I can suspect are those who still hold keys? Urgh…"

Beatrice chuckled once more.

"H-hang on a sec, what about the separate key, the one that just opens this room?" Deidara asked.

"Allow me to enlighten you!" Said the witch with a grin as she narrowed her eyes.

"All of the keys that singularly open separate rooms are kept in a key box on the far wall of this room." Beatrice said, the scarlet letters of the red truth dancing around her, "Also, there is no way to enter or exit this room other than the one door and one window, both of which were locked. Lastly, there is no way to open or lock this door without the key to the room or one of the master keys."

"Huh? B-but….." Deidara stammered, "Dammit…I can't think…"

Beatrice giggled her eyes full of triumph.

"Oh, Deidara…if you just acknowledge me as a witch, then all of the mysteries will become clear!" She laughed.

Deidara clenched his fists as they both disappeared, allowing the scene to continue.

"That's it." Neji said quietly.

"W-what…?" Shikamaru began.

"I've had enough of this. We can't just accept that two people are killed when we can't even find their bodies as evidence." Said Neji, closing his eyes.

"But Neji! I swear, no we all swear, none of us are lying to you!" Tenten insisted, her eyes wide.

"I don't care. As far as I am concerned, both Sasori and Kisame are still alive. Perhaps you were all tempted by the gold promised by the witch, and you all are conspiring against us together!" Neji supposed, his voice rising.

"Neji, please, we didn't…"

"Therefore, I cannot overlook the possibility that you may all be wolves!" Neji declared.

Tenten made as if to move forward, but Neji lifted the heavy gun and pointed it straight at her. She took a step back in surprise.

"Get away from me!" Neji snarled.

"Neji! You're going too far!" Deidara exclaimed, crossing the room to stand in front of Tenten.

"No…what Neji is saying does make sense…I'm afraid." Shikamaru said with a sigh.

He walked forwards, eyeing Neji's gun cautiously, and reached into his pocket. He drew out his own master key, setting it down on the table in front of him as light glinted off of its metallic surface.

"Kakashi entrusted me this key…but if you doubt us so much, then I will return it." Shikamaru sighed.

"Thank you, Shikamaru." Neji said.

"Tenten, Kakuzu, you too." Shikamaru said as he looked at the two behind him.

The kunoichi and Akatsuki member nodded, as they also withdrew their master keys and set them down on the table. Deidara noticed that it seemed to be Kakuzu's fear of the gun rather than his honour that compelled him to do as he was told.

"Hanabi, give me your bag, please." Neji said, turning towards his young cousin.

Hanabi looked as if she was about to argue at first, but then begrudgingly handed Neji her dark canvas bag. Neji took it quickly and opened it. Then, he scooped up the three keys on the table top and dropped them into the bag. They could all hear the 'clink' as they hit the bottom.

"Are you happy now, Neji?" Said Deidara, crossing his arms resentfully.

"Yes, I am." Neji affirmed. His face relaxed and he let himself smile, "Even if I can't be sure about trusting any of you, I can at least trust myself. Thank you."

"Now I won't have to suspect any of you." He added after a second.

"You know…it's irrelevant who has the keys, Neji." Said Hanabi from the doorway.

They all whipped around to face her as she stepped into the room, quite oblivious of the pools of blood on the floor in front of her. Neji's eyes hardened as she broke into a hysterical laugh. Everyone looked taken aback by the girl's strange outburst.

"Beatrice can get through any door she wants to, regardless of locks and keys! Kihihihihi!" Giggled Hanabi, her smile far too wide to be comfortable.

Neji took a step towards her, his eyes narrowed.

"What have I told you about spouting this nonsense?" he growled. Neji raised his hand as if he was about to strike Hanabi again, his eyes wide.

Deidara looked up, and shot out his hand, grabbing Neji's arm before he could hit his cousin. Deidara's face was in shadow, and Neji could not read his expression.

"What are you doing?" Neji hissed at him.

"Just leave her." Deidara said.

He let go of Neji's arm, who then dropped backwards, glowering at him. However, Neji's expression changed as he saw Deidara pace slowly towards Hanabi and kneel down in front of her. Everyone's eyes were fixed on him.

"You were right…about everything…" Deidara said.

His face tipped forwards, so he stared down at the floor.

"I…I can't explain what's going on any more…and because I didn't believe…it's been so painful…I can't…explain this…" He said quietly. He gritted his teeth, as the hopelessness of his situation washed over him, filling him with dread and a sense of bottomless despair.

"Deidara?" Hanabi asked softly, "Do you believe?"

"…Yes…" Replied Deidara, "I believe…and acknowledge that Beatrice is a witch who uses magic that I don't understand…I acknowledge her existence."

Hanabi smiled and looked at him compassionately.

"I'm so glad." She said.

An hour had passed, in which the remaining demoralized occupants of the great mansion had passed the time mostly in silence, eating dinner from the tins and packets of food that they had not yet opened. Neji now looked up from where he had been staring blankly out of the window at the rain outside, to the inhabitants of the room around him.

"I am going to the drawing room again…it appears to be one o the safer rooms in this mansion." Neji said.

"Hanabi, I want you to stay with me, okay?" he asked his young cousin, who nodded.

"Good luck, Neji," Shikamaru said with a sigh.

"I'm going to lock the door from the inside. You must ask before you enter. You probably don't realise…but I am truly sorry for having to suspect you still…I thought having the keys would set my mind as ease, but I still find it impossible to believe that all of you are innocent. Please…Tenten. I hope that when this is over, we'll be able to trust each other as team mates once more."

Tenten looked up, surprised at Neji's sudden sentimentality.

"I…I hope so to." She replied softly.

"Shikamaru, if we ever get off of this island, I hope that I will once more be able to respect you as I did before this incident." Neji continued.

"And the same to you, Neji." Said Shikamaru.

"And as for you Akatsuki…" Neji began, looking at them in turn, "I will never be able to trust you fully. You are enemies of our village and always will be. However, in light of what has happened, I find that I have a twinge of regrets for suspecting even you."

The Akatsuki members looked stunned.

"Deidara, I know not to suspect you as you have been within my sight at almost all points so far. Therefore, I want to have a word with you, outside." Neji said.

Tenten and Deidara looked extremely surprised at this, but Deidara shrugged and followed Neji and Hanabi out into the corridor, closing the door to the servant's rooms behind them.

"Don't trust them. Not any of them." Said Neji in a voice so low that Deidara could hardly hear him.

"Filthy liars. They're just waiting for us to turn our backs on them. To think that they would drop this low for a little mythical gold."

"Wait a moment! How can you say that about your own comrades? Are you telling me that all that sentimentality back there was just for show? To lure them into a false sense of security?" Deidara asked, incredulously.

"Why of course. It's only possible that they are the culprits. In any case, I'm heading to the drawing room now. You may follow if you wish." Neji replied.

He took Hanabi's arm and began to pace back up the dim corridor towards the drawing room, Hanabi hurrying along to keep up with him.

"Neji! You've gone too far! Those people respect you!" Deidara called furiously after him, but Neji had disappeared.


	33. Keys and Mirrors

**Chapter thirty-three.**

**Things are finally drawing to a close for the second game!**

**I do not own Umineko no Naku Koro Ni or Naruto.**

The corridor faded into black and white as with the usual entourage of golden butterflies, Beatrice the golden and Deidara appeared in the frozen moment. Deidara was shaking, his fists clenched and teeth gritted.

"I can't stand it!" He yelled at the witch as he watched his frozen counterpart in the corridor clutch his face in desperation.

"Make Neji see the truth! Show him he can't suspect the others!" He demanded.

"Oh...I could Neji that his friends and comrades are innocent…I _could…_" Beatrice purred, watching Deidara's despair with great amusement, "I could for example tell him that there are only five master keys…"

The last part of her sentence floated around her in the form of the red truth rule.

"I might be so inclined…if you submit to me and become my furniture!"

Deidara stiffened.

"KYAHAHAHAHAHA!" Beatrice shrieked.

The scene returned to life and colour as the two onlookers vanished back to where they had come from. The corridor was silent apart from the ticking of the huge clock in the hallway not so far away.

The door behind Deidara opened, and he looked around as Tenten, Hidan, Shikamaru and Kakuzu stepped out.

"What did Neji want to tell you?" Asked Kakuzu.

"Oh…nothing much…" Deidara lied.

"We're going back to the kitchen for the moment; you can come with us if you like…" Tenten said quietly, looking up at Deidara.

"I think I will, it's not advisable to be on your own in this place…" Deidara replied, looking around at the dimly lit corridor. Anything could jump out at you in this house.

They nodded and made their way back into the kitchen. They were all understandably on edge, looking around the room as if they were going to be attacked right at that moment.

"I still can't believe what we saw back then..." Shikamaru said after a while.

Deidara turned and looked at him.

"So you're sure that that thing was Kiba?" He asked.

"No, it wasn't Kiba. It was demonic...we got into a fight with it and...Hey Tenten!" Shikamaru suddenly looked at his comrade, realisation dawning on his face, "When you found out that Kiba might have been a fake, how did you know to touch him with a spider web?"

Tenten smiled.

"I heard long ago that spiders webs were kept as charms by priests to keep away evil spirits. Naturally, it was the only thing that came to mind at the time...I guess I panicked. They are said to repel magic." Tenten answered.

"I see..." Kakuzu said, "Well, it does make sense. Spiders have always had a lot to do with the occult, have they not?"

"I heard that some kind of sacred power was sealed upon the shrine on the others side of the island...none of this would have happened if I hadn't have smashed that mirror!" Tenten squeaked as tears welled up in her chocolate brown yes.

"So...Beatrice told you that if you smashed the mirror, she'd regain her power?" Asked Deidara, looking at Tenten sadly, "Did she trick you into it?"

Tenten looked up at him, her face shining with tears, and shook her head slowly.

"You know, I remember now, Konan used to keep a mirror with her at all times. It sounds similar to the one you're talking about. Maybe that too can offer us some protection." Deidara said, looking up at the others.

"Yes..." Hidan said, "It might resist the witch long enough for us to hold out until morning."

"She kept it in her room while she was here from what I remember." Kakuzu said.

"Come on then, let's go get it!" Deidara said as he made as if to leave the room.

"Wait!" Tenten said.

"Konan's room is locked, I walked past it earlier. Plus, we no longer have any of the original master keys." She continued.

"But Konan should still have her own key in her pocket right? The one she carried that only opened the door to her room." Deidara said hopefully.

"And her corpse is still in the chapel, so we can go and get it!" Shikamaru said, standing up in excitement.

The group all got to their feet. As Deidara reached for the back door that led outside, Kakuzu raised his voice.

"I'll stay here." He said.

"What? But it's dangerous to be here on your own!" Deidara spluttered.

"I know, but I have some other duties to attend to." Kakuzu replied.

The others sighed, and made their goodbyes to him before ducking outside into the rain that was falling in sheets. The wind had picked up and they had to shield their faces with their arms. Their footsteps splashed through the puddles that had accumulated in the potholes in the unkempt path. By the time they all reached the chapel, each of them were drenched to the skin with rain. The group stood still for a moment, panting after their run and not entirely willing to enter the chapel full of death once more. After a moment, they nodded as they pushed open the heavy double doors. The smell made them all gag as they made their way into the room.

"Even now, I can barely look at them all..." Shikamaru said softly, his eyes falling on the array of horribly mutilated corpses and blood spattered all over the floor.

The three gold bricks in the mouth of the pumpkin were still there, glimmering in the dull light. Hidan looked at Tenten.

"The key should be in the pocket of her cloak. Could you get it? She may have been killed but I don't think Pin would appreciate me touching her." Hidan said, looked away uncomfortably.

Tenten looked at him quizzically. Was an Akatsuki member showing embarrassment? She shrugged and took several steps towards the bodies, trying not to look at what had one been their insides scattered all over the floor. She put a hand to cover her nose as the smell of the corpses grew as she approached. She sighed, and reached into the pocket of Konan's cloak that Hidan had described. She withdrew a small silver key much like the master keys, which had a small white string attached to it.

"Is this the one?" Tenten asked, looking up.

"Yeah, I think that's it." Deidara replied.

Tenten nodded and took a step towards them shaking the blood that had soaked into Konan's clothes off of her hand as she did so. Before she reached the others, she stopped and turned, taking one last look at the corpses around the table. Suddenly, Shikamaru gasped in horror.

"What the...!" He breathed as he stared at something behind Tenten.

She turned and her eyes widened as she saw what he meant. Golden butterflies, a whole vast flock of them had appeared at her end of the room. The filled the space with their golden light, the eerie whistling singing noise accompanying them. Their light threw grotesque shadows off of the corpses below.

"Are these...is this Beatrice?" Deidara murmured, his eyes staring at them transfixed.

All of a sudden, they turned, changed direction, and flew straight at Tenten.

Tenten yelled out loud as they swarmed around her like a miniature golden Hurricane. She threw out her arms and attempted to bat them away, but they kept coming, more and more of them. Deidara ran forwards and snatched her arm, pulling her away before she was consumed by the growing number. They ran together to the chapel door, Hidan and Shikamaru following behind.

"The door is stuck!" Exclaimed Deidara as he wrestled with handle, resorting to kicking the door to try and get it to open.

Shikamaru and Hidan were swiping at the butterflies as they gathered around them, but to no avail.

"Come on Deidara!" Hidan growled as he aimed a kick at the golden forms, scowling as they danced out of the way.

Suddenly, Tenten cried out as she noticed something else.

A magnificent woman was floating in mid air at the back of the room, surrounding by her beloved golden butterflies. As Beatrice noticed the four see her, she grinned, her eyes becoming dark and malevolent. She slowly began to sink towards the ground.

"Ah...how convenient!" She said with another wide smile as she surveyed the people before her.

"B-Beatrice...?" Deidara said so quietly that Tenten could only just here him.

"Shouldn't you be running for your lives?" Beatrice asked, her eyes narrowing.

"If you're happy for this to be your final resting place then so be it!" She laughed her face full of savage amusement.

The four humans turned back to the door, and as Deidara rammed his shoulder against the wooden frame, the door broke open and they stumbled out. They all bolted from the chapel, running back towards the house through the bucketing rain, fear etched into each of their faces as they sprinted. Tenten held the key to Konan's room tightly in her hand as her face became determined.

Beatrice, still floating above the corpses in the chapel began to laugh, descending so she was only about a foot from the huge pumpkin at the centre of the table.

"Oh...I do so like it when they run! It makes it so much more entertaining! Hehehehehehe!"


	34. The Chase

**Chapter thirty-four.**

**I've been waiting to write this chapter since I started this thing!**

**I do not own Umineko no Naku Koro Ni or Naruto.**

The rain was far less driving than it had been when they had entered the chapel. It fell like a thin mist that in some ways rendered you soaked to the bone far quicker than any other sort of rain. However, it was a cooling respite to Tenten, Deidara Shikamaru and Hidan as they sprinted.

The front door creaked loudly as they all ducked inside, barely pausing for a moment before setting off up the wide staircase for Konan's room.

The four ninja were panting heavily as they bolted through the empty corridors of the great house, their feet pounding the carpeted floor. Each one of their faces was desperate and sweat was running down Shikamaru's face as if he was in a sauna.

They couldn't tell whether they were being pursued, in their panic they wanted to do little else than run as fast as their legs could carry them. Besides, if Beatrice didn't want them to know they were being chased, she could follow them wherever they went and they would have no clue that they were being stalked, such was her power.

Tenten glanced up as Deidara slipped his hand into hers. She looked around at him and he smiled at her. That gave her the added strength she needed.

Soon, she could see the door to Konan's room up a head, and the group skidded to a halt outside it.

Tenten hurriedly fitted the key into the lock, looking anxiously up as she twisted it. They were all very much on edge, expecting to see the witch leap out from behind a dresser or something. However, Tenten knew the witch was far to proud for that, and would no doubt find a far more amusing way to kill them all.

Finally, the lock yielded, and Tenten swung the door open. All four of them slipped inside and scattered into the room.

"Konan will have kept it close to her bedside. Try the chest of drawers or the bedside table." Hidan suggested.

They all ran to inspect the furniture, Tenten and Deidara setting upon the bedside table. For a moment, none of them spoke as they opened drawers and cabinets, searching in desperation. Suddenly, Deidara looked around at the others.

"Hey, is this it?" He asked.

He was holding a small circular box. It appeared to be made out of some kind of pale wood, and was extremely beautifully made to resemble an unopened rose. It was shut tight and there was a small keyhole on the opposite side to the hinge.

"Yes, well I can't think of what else it could be…" Tenten said.

She took it and tried to open it, but couldn't.

"Dammit! Deidara, could you…?" She asked as she passed the box to him.

Suddenly, Shikamaru looked around and saw that they had left the door wide open. He ran over to it and stuck his head out into the corridor to check if the coast was clear. He let out a hoarse cry at what he saw.

There was a soft golden light pulsating at the end of the corridor, growing brighter, moving towards them. As Shikamaru watched, perplexed, figured emerged from around the corner of the hallway. They were goat-men demons, marching uniformly towards them in their pristine tailcoats, jackets and red ties. Their hairy black faces were impassive, but their demonic red eyes glowed with evil light. They were approaching steadily in two columns, but Shikamaru couldn't see the end of their line.

"What the hell…?" He breathed before returning to the room and slamming the door.

Shikamaru hastily locked it, the resounding click cutting through the air. Suddenly, there was another click as the door was unlocked. Shikamaru locked it again. The unlocking click followed once more.

"What…on...earth...is…this?" He whispered in horror as he locked the door for a third time, "We have the only other key!"

He resorted to holding the door shut, leaning against it with his full weight. Hidan was rooted to the spot, unable to move. It was if he had completely lost his head. Even if he actually had, it would have made little difference.

"I'm going to try and break it open!" Deidara growled as he failed to open the box yet again.

He dug around in Konan's bedside table until he found it. He knew she would never let herself be unarmed. He took the hidden kunai out from the hidden compartment in the draw and forced it into the rim of the box, the gap between the main container and its lid.

"H-hurry!" Shikamaru groaned as he held the door, watching Deidara struggle with the unyielding box.

There now came heavy thuds as the demons struck the heavy oak door, and however thick and strong it was, Deidara knew it would never hold them back. All of a sudden, an arrogant and smug voice filled the room. They all looked up in terror.

"Tehehehehe! Did you honestly think that mere locks and doors could hold me back? You are as stupid as you look!" Mocked the voice.

Shikamaru's eyes widened as something emerged through the surface of the door. As if they belonged to a ghost capable of walking through walls, a pair of arms reached out through the wood. They groped around for a second until they found Shikamaru's face, who was still holding the door shut against the demons outside the room. The slender hands caressed his pale face as he stared wildly at the surface of the door in blind fear.

The arms were clad in long scarlet sleeves, cuffed by black frills. Suddenly, the pair of hands found the collar of his chunin jacket. They gripped it firmly, and hoisted the panicked Shikamaru into the air.

"I'm almost there!" Deidara snarled, getting more and more desperate.

He had almost opened the box…

"Aaaaw….! How sweet!" Crooned a high and yet childish voice close by his ear, "Tell me, do you see your life flashing before your eyes? Well you should, because it ends now!" Giggled the voice.

At that instant, Tenten looked up and saw for a moment a pale face with bright crimson eyes framed with shining blonde curls, before it vanished.

Shikamaru let out a strangled yell of surprise and pain. His eyes became unfocused and his fell heavily to the ground, a thin metal stake sticking up grotesquely from his chest. He was dead.

"Shikamaru!" Screamed Tenten.

She made as if to rush forward, but Deidara stepped in the way, forcing her to move backwards towards the window. Hid face was full of sorrow but was also murderous.

"Don't, they'll kill you too." Deidara said in a low voice.

Hidan looked at Shikamaru's body transfixed. Blood was seeping out from the dead boy's chest wound, staining the carpet. Without Shikamaru holding the door to the bedroom shut, it soon burst open with a crash, admitting the goat-demons. Their expressionless faces hid their killing intent as they filed orderly into the room, filling up half of the space.

Deidara gritted his teeth and backed further into the room, holding up an arm to keep Tenten behind him. He would protect her no matter what. Hidan also took a couple of tentative steps backwards, his eyes wider than ever as he looked at the demons before him. Jashinism had never said anything about _this._

A musical yet haunting and mocking laughter filled the room, as golden butterflies also fluttered innocently in through the open door. They illuminated the space with their bright golden light, as the laughter intensified. Some of the fluttering forms converged on one spot in the centre of the room.

The light grew until Hidan Tenten and Deidara had to look away, and when they at last let their gaze concentrate back onto that spot, it was occupied by none other than Beatrice the Golden Witch.

She put one foot onto the dead body of Shikamaru and smiled maliciously at them all.

Her laughter became delirious.

"Look's like I've caught you! KYAHAHAHAHAHA!"


	35. The Protector

**Chapter thirty-five.**

**This is one of my favourite parts of the whole story so far!**

**I do not own Umineko no Naku Koro Ni or Naruto!**

"The game has chosen two of you, Tenten, Deidara and Hidan." Beatrice said casually, although her voice retained a hint of menace.

The demons that stood at her sides took a step forwards, eyes burning scarlet. Hidan and Tenten stared at them, frozen to the spot. Deidara was still fighting with the small box that should contain the mirror, and perhaps their only hope of protection.

"Oh wait…make that one of you." The witch said quietly with a grin.

Before any of them could do anything at all, before Hidan could even cry out, one of the goat-demons had dashed forwards, swinging its arm in a wide arc as a blade of royal blue light flickered into being on its wrist. Its mouth tore down the sides of its head and its eyes widened crazily until it looked like a rabid black dog with horns.

There was a guttural cough and a spray of blood that flew into the air, as Hidan fell backwards, his throat slashed open. Evidently not only had he lost his chakra abilities, but his immortality, as he was clearly dead.

His killer stepped back to join the ranks of the other demons, its face impassive once more.

Beatrice laughed hysterically as a puddle of blood spread from Hidan's neck, regarding his crumpled form next to Shikamaru's with great amusement.

Tenten glared at the witch with abject hate and loathing pouring from her eyes. Beatrice stared right back, her lips twitching into a thin cruel smile. Tenten moved so it was she who stood in front of Deidara, tensed incase of attack.

"Oh, but which one to chose? The furniture or the criminal? This will be fun!" Chuckled Beatrice, her eyes narrowed, "Hehehe, Tenten…I can see your regrets so plainly. They're leaking out of your eyes!"

Tenten clenched her fists as the witch teased her.

"You wanted to show Deidara your love, didn't you? But I'm going to kill you before your fist night together! KYAHAHAHA!" Beatrice shrieked in triumph.

Deidara snarled with frustration, and threw the stubborn little box against the wall. He didn't expect it to actually work, but it bounced off, cracking down the middle. He picked it up and removed the small mirror charm that was miraculously unbroken.

"I've got it!" He cried to Tenten, who looked around at him quickly.

"Now, DIE!" Beatrice yelled.

At once, the rows of goat-demons charged at them, their faces vicious and rabid once more. Their tongues lolled from their sharp-toothed jaws, saliva flying everywhere. At the same time, the hordes of golden butterflies that had been fluttering aimlessly around the room converged on one point, and shot like multiple glowing bullets at Deidara and Tenten.

Tenten looked up, taking the small mirror from Deidara and closed her eyes in concentration.

"Deidara, stand close to me." She said quietly.

He quickly moved over to stand by her side, his eyes widening as he saw the enemy that were almost upon them, ready to kill.

Suddenly, there was a huge explosion of light. Deidara didn't have time to marvel at its artistic beauty before he gasped, looking at Tenten.

Tenten was facing up at the witch on the other side of the room, holding the mirror shiny side up in her hands at her chest. Surrounding Deidara and Tenten stood a translucent wall of pure white light. It spun slowly around them, covered in strange glowing white symbols. It was like a cylindrical force field that completely encircled them.

As the enemy rushed forwards, they collided with the thin barrier of light. As soon as it touched them, they exploded into golden butterflies that also disappeared shortly afterwards. Within a minute, all of the goat-demons had been eradicated as they hit the light that Tenten had created.

For a moment, the room was silent apart from the strange low humming of Tenten's shield that still surrounded both her and Deidara. He looked at her in shock, and then back at the witch, no idea of what was going on.

"Tenten? Shouldn't you have lost your chakra?" He asked.

"Yes, Deidara…" She replied, "But this power of mine is not chakra. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before…"

"Ah…I forgot." Beatrice said, her hysterical face relaxing into a sneer, "I accidentally imparted on you some powers that day as well I see."

"What's she talking about, Tenten?" Deidara enquired his face desperate.

"Oh she didn't tell you? Pity there's no time now…" The witch purred.

"Beatrice! I won't forgive you for killing my friends and disgracing Kiba!" Tenten snarled, her eyes narrowing.

"Do you hate me for that Tenten?" Asked Beatrice, smiling widely, "I bet you loath me. I erased his body and resurrected a demon in his image, making you all believe he was a killer. It was so much fun!"

Tenten resisted the urge to run forwards and strangle the witch.

"Here, how about I let you meet him again!" Beatrice laughed.

Tenten's eyes widened in horror. Beatrice twirled her long golden pipe around her slender fingers, the vapours filling the room. Suddenly, there was an explosion of bright golden light right next to her. The light dimmed until it was in the form of Kiba.

"Now Tenten, say hello to Kiba!" Beatrice exclaimed.

The boy took a step forward, his eyes not their usual dark colour, but glowing crimson. His face was too pale and devoid of human emotion. Tenten knew that this was not Kiba at all.

"Is this your idea of fun? Disgracing the dead so many times?" Tenten asked in a dangerously low voice.

"Why of course! It's always fun to reintroduce the living and the dead!" Laughed Beatrice.

"You sick bitch." Tenten growled.

"Kiba! Go and play with your dear friend Tenten!" Beatrice commanded.

At her words, Kiba stood up straight and raised his forearm. There was a shimmering of blue light, and a glowing sapphire blade of light emanated from his wrist and arm. Deidara stood and stared at him, stupefied.

Suddenly, Kiba leapt high into the air. Tenten followed his ascent closely, and shut her eyes, bracing herself. Kiba shot towards them, his arm held back for his attack. As he dropped, he sliced his blade through the air, this way and that in quick succession. Each blow glanced off of the light barrier that Tenten was emanating. Deidara could see her wince with each strike.

Kiba seemed to notice that his attack was going anywhere, so he changed tactics. Leaping up once more, he threw his entire body at the shield. As he hit, his body started to peel away into golden butterflies that disappeared as soon as they formed. Kiba was dissolving fast, but so was the shield.

Deidara made to move closer to Tenten, away from the approaching edge of the shield, but she held out her arm to stop him.

"Don't move…I don't want to have to shift the centre axis." She said.

As the last of Kiba's body dissipated into the glowing golden forms, the shield was reduced closer and closer to Deidara and Tenten in its centre. Tenten screwed up her face, and gritted her teeth in concentration. The shield grew brighter and widened once more, strengthening.

"Hehehe!" Beatrice laughed, "I didn't expect that! But I see now, that little mirror charm is lending you power. How tedious. I guess that this is what makes furniture like you so annoying."

"I'm not furniture!" Tenten cried, looking up at the witch with conviction.

"There are many regrets between me and Deidara. Because we love each other, there always will be. However, the type of thing you were talking about has nothing to do with us!" She continued.

"Huh!" Snorted Beatrice.

"We will show you none of the sick regrets you're hoping for!" Tenten yelled.

"How dare you speak to me like that, furniture!" Beatrice hissed.

"I swore to Deidara that I loved him, and that no matter what our loyalties may be, my feelings would not change! Through that, I have no regrets. I was able to become...human…" Tenten said.

Deidara remained silent as he looked at her. He could see a bead of sweat running down her face, and her cheeks were pink. She was breathing heavily from the effort of holding up the shield; he couldn't tell how much longer she would last. Beatrice sighed, closing her eyes.

"Oh Tenten, I am disappointed with you." She said, shaking her head.

Suddenly, the witch's face snapped up to stare at Tenten, and her eyes widened deliriously.

"Just wait until that blonde criminal behind you stares at you with dark lust, just once!" Beatrice yelled.

"But this is boring me now…" The witch continued.

"DIE, FURNITURE!"

Suddenly, a mass of more golden butterflies than Tenten had ever seen swarmed and formed a cloud of glowing, pulsating bright forms above Beatrice's head. The colossal horde turned, and flew in a vast column towards Tenten and Deidara. More and more came, instantly replaced as soon as they fizzled away against the shield.

Deidara looked at Tenten desperately. She swung her hands up and held them, palm outwards, at the shield in a frantic attempt to aid its strength. Her face was full of pain and effort, but despite her concentration, the shield was thinning once more. As the butterflies continued to surge into the shield, it was narrowing and getting smaller with every second.


	36. Falling Away

**Chapter thirty-six.**

**For all those who have made it this far, thank you!**

**I do not own Umineko no Naku Koro Ni or Naruto.**

The shield was becoming thinner and thinner as the butterflies continued to smash themselves against the barrier of light, more than ever before piling onto one another in their intent to break through.

Tenten was grimacing with the effort, and just as she managed to strengthen the barrier for a couple of inches, it collapsed inwards again under the sheer numbers of enemies.

Beatrice was watching in silence with grim amusement on her face.

"I'm…sorry…Deidara…" Tenten whispered, as she tried as hard as could to protect them both.

Deidara looked up at her, and then sighed, his eyes full of sadness. They were both backing slowly towards the other side of the room, way from Beatrice and the door, forced back by the impact of the torrent of butterflies.

"Maybe I couldn't become human after…all." Tenten said.

Deidara looked at her face and saw that large pearly tears were rolling down her pink cheeks and dropping into her white top.

"No." He said, "You've done plenty. You protected me, putting yourself in danger, that is all I could ask for now. You are right now the mist human person I know."

Deidara felt the shield's power humming close to his back. They were almost up against the wall at the back of the room now. It was weaker than ever, but still held against the onslaught.

Suddenly, Deidara stepped forwards and enclosed Tenten with his arms, taking her hand in his. He stood around her protectively, burying his face into her hair. He felt her relax slightly, comforted by his presence as he embraced her tightly. Her tears ran silently down her face as she turned her head towards him; if they were going to die, they might as well make the most of the few moments that they had left.

Deidara leant forwards and his lips met hers. Tenten closed her weary eyes as she kissed him, ignoring everything else in the world for that one moment of peace. The moment seemed to last for hours, until she knew what she had to do.

She looked up and saw the window at his back, and as she broke the kiss, looked up into his face, her own shining with her tears, and smiled warmly at him.

"Thank you, Deidara…for showing me how to be human. But…it's as she said. She only wants one of us…" She whispered.

In that instant, she pushed them both forwards. At the same time as she did this, she released the shield that surrounded them, and smashed the window at their backs with a well aimed punch. Then, whilst Deidara was still in shock, she shoved him as hard as she could out of the broken window.

"WHAT IS THIS!" Screamed Beatrice.

The witch threw up her hands, and the golden butterflies took the form of two twisted metallic spikes.

Deidara had acted on reflex and caught the window frame as he fell. He dangled below it, the broken glass that was still in places attached to the frame cutting into his palm and the lips and mouth on his hand.

"Deidara, get out of here!" Tenten began to yell.

Suddenly, her eyes widened and a silent scream left her lips. She was pulled backwards from the window by something that Deidara couldn't see, and vanished from his sight completely. At that moment, the pain in Deidara's hand became too much and he was forced to let go, falling down towards the garden below him.

Meanwhile, Kakuzu was still standing in the centre of the kitchen, wondering how the others were fairing. He was just deciding to himself whether he should go and check on Neji and Hanabi when he heard a loud thudding noise from outside. Kakuzu was never one to show fear, or many emotions at all, so he sighed, merely irritated by the fact that he would have to venture out into the foul weather.

Cautiously, Kakuzu pushed open the back door, stepping out into the misty rain. It was extremely dark now, and almost impossible to see much more than a few feet in front of your face. As he moved slowly through the garden, he almost tripped and stumbled over something on the ground in front of him. Kakuzu bent down to see what it was.

Neji and Hanabi looked up as they heard a loud hammering on the double doors that led into drawing room. Hanabi was still reading her puzzle book, and Neji had been standing facing the door with the gun in his arms.

"Who is it?" Neji demanded.

"It's Kakuzu."

"What do you want?"

"I've…found Sasori and Kisame's corpses."

A few minutes later, the three of them stood in the garden, soaked to the skin by the misty rain as they gazed at the two bodies in front of them. Sasori lay crumpled in a heap, his puppet limbs left at odd angles in the mud. Kisame was also splayed out grotesquely, his slashed neck making Neji want to gag. Out of Kisame's knee stuck a twisted metal stake, blood running from where it pierced into the muscle. Another of these weapons was protruding from Sasori's shin, the puppet surface around it cracked, with purple liquid oozing out, diluted by the rain.

"On the seventh twilight, gouge the knee and kill." Quoted Hanabi.

Both Kakuzu and Neji looked around at her, eyebrows raised in surprise that something like this wouldn't affect a nine-year old girl.

"On the eighth twilight, gouge the leg and kill."

Hanabi's lips were stretched into a wide smile and her eyes were unnerving. Her face was mostly in shadow under her umbrella, and she was laughing.

"But, doesn't this mean the fourth, fifth and six twilights have been missed out?"

Before Neji could do anything, there was a noise of frantic running. He span around, the gun in his hands.

"Who's there?" He demanded.

"It's…Deidara…!" Deidara gasped.

Deidara had been lucky. In his fall, he had landed upon a row of relatively soft shrubs that had broken his landing somewhat. In any case, he was still covered with smalls cuts and bruises, but other than that he had no serious injuries from falling from the first floor of the mansion.

"Neji! It's Tenten! She's in trouble!" He spluttered.

"What? And the others? Where are they all?" Neji asked.

"They're…all dead."

"Show me."

Deidara nodded. His long blonde and usually well kept hair was plastered against his face, in places stained with blood, and not just his own. Her eyes were wide and exhausted, but he was frantic to get back to Tenten. He prayed that she was alright.

The group quickly returned to the mansion, following Deidara as he sprinted through the lonely corridors of the great house, up the wide staircase and towards the room in which Hidan and Shikamaru and maybe even...were killed.

Deidara gave a quick intake of breath as he looked at the door. It was covered from top to bottom with blood. The blood was spattered on randomly, and in places formed handprints and deep gouges into the wood of the door.

"What is this?" Neji asked his face pale.

"Never mind, come on!" Deidara said dismissively.

Neji took out one of the master keys he had taken from the others, and fitted it into the door. It unlocked with a click. Deidara quickly pushed it open and ran inside. The others followed him, and gasped at what they saw.

Hidan and Shikamaru were lying crumpled up on the carpet, their blood seeping out of deep chest wounds. The weapon in each case was another twisted metallic spike, piercing into their flesh.

Deidara hurriedly stepped over their bodies, frantically searching for Tenten. He clenched his fists as he saw her at the other end of the room, and moved towards her.

She was sitting with her back to him, her chin resting on the bedside table. Her legs were folded beneath her, and her arms were by her side but he could not see her face.

"Tenten!" Deidara called.

His eyes lit up. Could she be alive? 

He dashed over to her and knelt down by her side. He put his hands on her shoulders and turned her so she faced him, before breathing in sharply at what he saw.

There was a dull metallic thud as another spike fell out from where it had been lodged in her forehead. Blood ran down her face mingling with tears that sank into Deidara's cloak as her body collapsed from where it had been propped against the bedside table into his arms, her head lolling backwards. She was dead.

Deidara felt the tears welling up, but shook his head quickly to stop them running down his cheeks. He buried his face in her hair so he didn't have to look at her unseeing, unfocussed eyes.


	37. The Master Revealed

**Chapter thirty-seven.**

**Poor Tenten...actually, poor Deidara, and Neji and everyone else.**

**I do not own Umineko no Naku Koro Ni or Naruto!**

Deidara held onto Tenten's body tightly, refusing to let go. However, Neji ran over to him and threw him back, away from her corpse. Tenten fell forwards onto the floor, her head hitting the carpet with a wet sounding 'thud'. Deidara stumbled and sat down next to the bed, his eyes still haunted as if he was finding it all too hard to take in.

"Leave her alone! We need to leave the scene as it is for when the ANBU get here!" Exclaimed Neji desperately, although his face was just as pale as Deidara's.

"So…these really are the fourth through to the sixth twilights." Deidara said, his face now hidden in the shadow of his blonde hair as his fell across his eyes.

"Which means the ninth twilight is next. Tell me, Hanabi, what was the ninth twilight supposed to be?" Asked Neji as he turned to his young cousin.

"_On the ninth twilight, the witch shall revive and none shall be left alive_." Hanabi said quietly.

"So, does this mean that we are all going to die?" Deidara found himself asking no-one in particular.

The only noise in the main hallway was the ticking of the huge grandfather clock as the depleted and dispirited group headed back to the drawing room. No-one said anything whatsoever until they reached the door and Neji took out one of the keys he held.

"Thank you, Kakuzu." Neji said to the Akatsuki member, his face impassive before he unlocked the door and walked inside with Hanabi.

"I will be in the kitchen if anything happens." Kakuzu replied before turning around and leaving the hallway, heading down on of the side corridors to the kitchen.

Deidara slipped inside the drawing room after Neji and Hanabi, his face full of anger.

"What the hell? How can you just leave Kakuzu out there on his own? I mean, I don't exactly like the guy, but he could easily be killed!" Deidara asked loudly, his eyes narrowed.

The jounin didn't answer, but shut the door after they had passed through and locked it again.

"Neji!" Began Deidara, but gave it up. It was pointless arguing right now.

Neji crossed the room, turning on the lights and checking the immediate surroundings for any dangers. Once he reached the other side of the room, he looked out of the tall arched window at the rain and dark sky outside. The rain seemed lighter than before, but the clouds still covered the sky, blocking out any feeble light from the thin moon or the stars. He sighed as he closed the thick velvet curtains.

Deidara had made some way into the room when he noticed something on the coffee table beside him. It was an envelope, identical to the pale ones that had contained the letters from the witch so far. He picked it up, tore open the seal and tipped out the creamy paper inside. There were two sheets, one on which was written another of those strange symbols, and the other that contained a short note.

His eyes scanned the paper as he read silently: 'Are you making any progress on the epitaph? I should hurry, time is running out. The ninth twilight is coming.'

"Hey, Deidara! What is that?" Hanabi asked, leaning over and looked at the paper with interest.

"Hanabi! Come and stand here next to me!" Commanded Neji.

There was a click as Neji's grip tightened on the heavy gun as he pointed it straight at Deidara, his eyes cold and narrowed.

"What are you doing?" Asked Deidara incredulously as he took a step backward.

"Now I know that you are a wolf." Neji growled, Hanabi walking over ho him and siding close to his side, her eyes wide and full of apprehension.

"Wait, why are you suspecting me?"

"You are the only one who could have put that letter there. Unless you can prove to me that it was not you but someone else, then in my eyes you are a wolf!"

Deidara looked from Neji to the note in his hand, and then back to Neji.

"But then you too are suspicious! You could have slipped that letter onto the table silently as we came in, leaving it for me to find!" he declared pointing at Neji accusatorially.

"If I wanted to kill you I would have shot you with this gun long ago!" Countered Neji.

"What does that prove? Yeah, you've been suspicious from the start! So we trust you with the gun, and suddenly people start dying left right and centre? Plus, you seemed to know where the key to the chapel was all along!" Growled Deidara.

Neji clenched his teeth and the gun clicked ominously.

"Please stop it!" Cried a voice.

Hanabi had thrown herself between Deidara and Neji, her small hands balled into tight fists, shaking by her sides. Her face was desperate and tears had welled up in her wide pale eyes.

"Please don't fight!" She cried, "This isn't your fault! It isn't Deidara or Neji's fault! The witch did it all with her magic!"

Neji looked about to argue, but sighed, his arms relaxing. Deidara also looked at the floor in shame, walking backwards before collapsing into an arm chair.

"You…you're right, Hanabi. I'm sick of suspecting each other like this." Deidara said quietly.

He put a hand to his face, his shoulders shuddering.

"It was all the witch…the witch is the culprit," Deidara said before throwing his head back, his eyes wide and desperate, as he yelled, "SO PLEASE, JUST SHOW YOURSELF! I BEG YOU!"

Deidara stood up, his fists shaking. His face was drawn and his teeth clenched as a result of a mixture of fury and despair. He turned and walked towards the door, unlocking it, opening it, and slipping outside.

"Seeing as you no-longer trust me, I'll go. I'll be…in the dining room…if you need me." He said quietly once more, before he disappeared.

Meanwhile, a cracked voice penetrated the silence of the study, a room that lay at he end of the corridor on the first floor, of which the door was locked. The voice was distraught, begging, and almost hysterical.

"Beatrice! Why do you keep yourself from me? Why can't you show yourself to me again? Please, let me see you smile!"

There was a pause as the owner of the voice looked up at the portrait on the wall, a painting identical to the huge one of Beatrice in the hallway.

"I need you! I love you! BEATRICE!"

At that moment, Deidara was sitting in one of the many elaborate wooden chairs that surrounded the great table in the dining room of the mansion. He wasn't doing anything in particular, mostly just staring at the mouth in his hand, hardly believing it was there.

He longed for something to take his mind off of the whole business; he wanted to create his art again. However, without his chakra this was impossible. Even when he reached into his bags of clay that were attached to his belt and tried to form the usual shapes of the birds and spiders, he just couldn't do it.

Suddenly, he heard a knock on the door. He sighed, not bothering to look up and see who it was.

"It's not locked." He said loud enough for them to hear.

The door swung open and a person walked in.

"Deidara, I think it's time you learnt what's going on." Said Kakuzu in his usual unreadable voice.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Asked Deidara, his head turning to look at Kakuzu in confusion.

"However, I think you ought to hear it from the master and…her." Kakuzu continued, before turning and motioning for Deidara to follow.

Deidara got to his feet and walked after Kakuzu's retreating form, totally perplexed. The masked Akatsuki member led him up the richly carpeted staircase and across the empty hallway on the first floor. Deidara averted his gaze from the bloody door that led into Konan's room in which the dead bodies of Shikamaru, Hidan and Tenten remained.

"Kakuzu, what's going on?" He asked, but Kakuzu would not reply.

They stopped outside a door that was more elaborate and decorated in its carving than the others. It stood at the end of the hallway, and Deidara wondered why neither he nor the others had ventured inside before. Without warning, the door swung open and Kakuzu walked inside, Deidara following.

"What the hell…?" Breathed Deidara in surprise.

The room was filled with shining golden light from dozens and dozens of fluttering golden butterflies that shimmered and danced around them. It was also filled with an eerie, whistling singing sound that set Deidara's teeth on edge.

"Ah, good of you to join us!" Purred a rich and yet cruel voice from a deep red armchair in the centre of the room.

Deidara's eyes widened in shock as he took in the sight of the majestic woman before him. However, they widened even further as he noticed who was sitting beside her in an identical armchair, their face tense and distracted. He opened his mouth, his words barely more than a whisper.

"Tobi?"


	38. The Witch's Party

**Chapter thirty-eight.**

**And now to reveal it all! Well, some of it anyway…**

**I do not own Umineko no Naku Koro Ni or Naruto.**

"How nice of you to come, Deidara!" Called Beatrice with an air of smugness that made Deidara angrier than he had ever been before.

"What's going on? Why did you bring me here? And why is Tobi here as well?" Deidara snarled, taking a couple more steps into the room, avoiding the fluttering butterflies as her walked.

"Shhh…all in good time, Deidara!" said the witch with a grin.

She stood up, walked slowly around the armchair and put her hands on her hips.

"Allow me to introduce my old master to you: Uchiha, Madara." Beatrice said, gesturing towards where Tobi sat in the armchair that had been next to hers.

"What the hell? Who are you talking about? That's Tobi!" Deidara spluttered, completely confused now. Tobi remained silent, which was unusual.

"Ah, yes…well that's what you've been led to believe isn't it?" replied the witch with a sense of smug satisfaction, "This dear fellow here was the original person who summoned me, al those years ago."

Deidara crossed his arms, attempting to make sense of the situation

"Wait; let's say I believe you, and that Tobi is this 'Madara' person. In the letter you led us to find earlier, you said that your master was dead."

"He is dead. He died some time ago. Well…perhaps I phrased that a little wrong…" Beatrice pondered her eyes still full of amusement.

"He formed a deal with me you see. A period of my service to time in return for his soul. The deal's contract expired a little while ago, so therefore his soul now belongs to me. The fact that he is now unable to do anything against my will now renders him dead to me. Or at least, his spirit has been crushed. But no, he isn't 'physically' dead." Said the witch with the look of one having to explain something simple to a child.

"Enough of this nonsense! I came for answers, not more riddles!" Deidara said, the information making his head hurt.

"Why of course! Naturally, I will answer any question you may want explanation to." Beatrice said with a gracious smile.

"Fine then!" Deidara growled, "How did the corpses get into the chapel when the door was locked? What happened to Kiba's body? Why were these crimes committed and what, are you?"

Deidara could feel his voice rising with every word he said, his clenched fists shaking with anger.

"I see. In which case I shall answer all of those questions, but on one condition," the witch paused and in that moment her eyes widened and her smile grew unnervingly wide, "that you, Deidara, acknowledge me as a witch and surrender to me, becoming my furniture!"

Deidara gritted his teeth and shut his eyes. He knew this had been coming all along. With a sigh, he relaxed.

"And when you do, I want you to kneel and kiss my toes; after all, I called you here to surrender." Continued the witch.

"Fine…I'll kiss you or whatever you want. Just as long as you tell me the answer to my questions…I…recognise you as a witch." Deidara said in a voice that was defeated and without feeling.

"Well said." Chuckled Beatrice.

At that moment, the clatter of footsteps cut through the silence of the gardens as Neji and Hanabi ran, avoiding the potholes and overgrowth that had, in places, grown across the pathway.

The two of them were panting as they finally reached their destination; the door of the imposing chapel. The rain had completely died away now, leaving a night that was clear but cold, the faint stars and sliver of a moon donating barely any light.

Neji hurriedly fitted the key to the chapel that he had taken from its last owner into the lock and pushed open the heavy double doors. Once more he ran, up to the table where the grotesque corpses were starting to smell more than ever. Reaching into the bright pumpkin that stood at the table's centre, he drew out one of the gold bricks.

"This should be enough…" he murmured.

"Hanabi, could you pass me your bag?" He asked his cousin.

Neji took the bag and dropped the golden brick inside, glad that it just about fitted. Hanabi took her bag back and held it close, totally unaffected by the death all around her.

"Kihihihihi!" Giggled Hanabi.

Neji looked at her apprehensively, gripping the gun tightly in his hand.

"We'll be able to meet Beatrice very soon!" Laughed the young girl.

"You know don't you? Where is she?" Neji asked urgently.

"Kihihihi! We'll meet her in the golden land!" Hanabi answered.

Neji stood up straight and spun around, looking everywhere for any movement. His eyes were cold and searching, but desperate. His fists shook, betraying his fear.

"I know you're here! Show yourself, Beatrice!" He yelled.

The hallway was flooded with golden light as the butterflies that now filled it swirled and fluttered through the air, their strange whistling accompanying them as always. The space was no longer empty, in fact, it was filled with people. To be precise, it was filled with demons. Rows and rows of the silent goat headed demons formed an orderly crowd in the hallway, their glowing red eyes devoid of emotion. At the head of them and standing at the opposite side of the room to the staircase, was Kakuzu.

"I present the Lady who has succeeded in her resurrection and returned to open the Golden land to us: Beatrice the Golden." Kakuzu announced.

From the top of the staircase appeared a hunched and wilting figure, his head bowed. It was Deidara. He was no longer wearing his Akatsuki robe, but was dressed in his usual short top with the fishnet that reached down to his belt in which he stored his clay, and the usual Akatsuki trousers and boots. However, his eyes were devoid of hope and light, his face a mask of defeat. Around his neck was an iron collar, cruelly chafing against his skin and with a heavy chain attached to a ring at the back. As he stumbled down the stairs, one could clearly see who was holding the other end of the chain.

Beatrice's lips were twisted into a triumphant smile, her face virtually glowing with her victory. As the pair reached the foot of the stairs, she gave the chain a yank that caused Deidara to jerk backwards in pain.

As they continued to pace through the crowd, one of the goat-men nearest her reached up and tugged at its head. The furry black head came away, revealing a voilet haired girl beneath. It had been a mask. Bernkastel sighed, her cold eyes observing.

"How pitiful." She remarked.

Beatrice and Deidara stopped as they passed her, Beatrice pulling the chain sharply to make Deidara stop.

"Bernkastel, how nice to see you at my little party. Telly me, do you like my new furniture?" she asked in a self-confident tone.

"An interesting hobby you have there." Replied Bernkastel, not caring to answer Beatrice's question.

Beatrice gave a little giggle and passed the lilac haired witch, moving on until she stood at the centre of the crowd of demons. She stood up straight as she looked around at them all, arms spread wide.

"Thank you all for gathering for my sake!" She declared, shining with cruel happiness and pride, "Look at the clock now; it is time to open the door to the golden land!"

At that instant, the humming and whistling of the butterflies that circled the room became a buzzing that filled Deidara's ears, so loud it felt like it was eating into his mind. The golden butterflies instantly changed direction and spiralled down to meet at a point just in front of Beatrice. The light from them was so bright he couldn't look directly at it. More and more of the golden forms were hurtling into each other at that one point, until suddenly, they disappeared to reveal the shape of a man.

Tobi was hunched forward, his arms outstretched. Deidara couldn't tell because his face was still covered by his mask, but his voice was desperate beyond measure.

"Beatrice! Don't leave me alone any more! Take me with you to the golden land!" his voice was trembling but he shouted none-the-less. It sounded edged with some great despair that clawed right into Deidara and made him want to run away, as fast as he could.

At once, the crowd of demons looked his way and piled over to Tobi, climbing over one-another in their haste. They surrounded him, their gloved hands raking down upon him, grasping his flesh on his arms, his legs, his face, anywhere.

Deidara winced and wanted to plug his ears as Tobi, or Madara's yells and screams filled the room. Blood was splattered over the walls and ceiling as the goat-men ripped him apart.

Deidara could barely believe what he had just seen, when Beatrice suddenly wrenched the chain violently and he was pulled across the room. He stumbled and tripped, falling to his knees onto the carpet, his head hitting the floor hard. The pain was just registering when he heard the witch's voice.

"Now, furniture, rub your head against the ground to show me how lowly you are!" ordered Beatrice.

She then walked away, laughing delicately as she did so.

Deidara lifted his wearied head, and his eyes widened. He was surrounded by the goat-demons. Some of them were covered in Tobi's blood, and all of them had scarlet hands. Deidara was rooted to the spot in fear as he heard their awful gargling growls and they closed in on him, grabbing his arms and limbs and face.

His yells and howls filled the room as once more; blood was splattered over the floor and walls.

Beatrice's laugh rose above Deidara's dying cries as she watched.


	39. The Banquet of Rewards

**Chapter thirty-nine.**

**And here we have the end of the second game.**

**I do not own Naruto or Umineko no Naku Koro Ni**

Their footsteps filled the air, the only sound other than that feint eerie whistling. Neji adn Hanabi sprinted through one of the maze-like avenues of the great rose-garden of the great mansion; they were running for their lives. Neji ran slightly ahead of his younger cousin, the gun gripped firmly in his hands, although his face was alight with terror.

Behind them grew an ominous golden glow, but it was not merely the butterflies pursuing them any more. More footsteps could be heard, getting closer ever minute, heavier footsteps that resounded through the still night.

The rain had stopped entirely, but although the skies were also now clear, the light from the sickle moon and stars was so faint that Neji could barely see twenty metres in front of him, so had resorted to keeping the byakugan active to help him find their way. After having fled the chapel, the pair of them had bolted down to the house, but the golden butterflies had been everywhere. Neji decided that the only course of action to take was to try and get to the shore, perhaps resort to swimming to the mainland, even though it was several miles.

Neji turned briefly and saw for a second what was chasing them. The goat-demons' eyes were wide open in madness, shining with scarlet. Their mouths had split down the sides of their skulls to reveal their grotesque rat-like fangs.

His eyes widened in fear and he turned to run again, Hanabi at his side.

"Aaaeeei!" cried Hanabi as her foot caught in a pothole.

The young kunoichi stumbled and fell heavily onto the ground, her eyes shut in pain. Immediately, on of the demons pounced upon her, pinning her to the pain, its evil eyes open wide.

There came the crack of a gunshot, and the demon pinning Hanabi exploded into golden butterflies that dissolved into the night.

"Just you try to lay a finger on my cousin," snarled Neji, a small plume of smoke rising from the gun, "and I'll show you how tame the hell you came from is!"

The jounin's face became determined as he ran over to Hanabi. He gently took her bag and dropped the gun into her arms.

"Hanabi, load the bullets for me okay? Like I showed you earlier." He said kindly, before turned to the wall of demons amassing behind them.

The goat-men had stopped in their tracks, but were staring at Neji and Hanabi in a hungry silence. Their long pink tongues lolled repulsively from their feral jaws, strings of saliva running from their mouths.

Neji's eyes narrowed as they began to surge forwards once more, and launched himself into them. He swung the bag weighted with its gold brick around his head and into the demons, hitting them hard in the head of chest of neck each time. Every time he did so, they disappeared in a cloud of golden butterflies, but they were instantly replaced by another snarling goat-man from behind.

"I'm sorry Hanabi..." Neji sighed quietly, "I never needed the gold. I should have just been there for you, listened to your stories."

He drew back, retreating fast back so he stood next to his cousin once more. The girl stood up and passed him the gun, taking the bag back. The demons were watching them in silence again.

"Let's go together...you and me...alright?" He said to Hanabi softly, looking at her with eyes full of apology.

"I'll stay with you." Agreed Hanabi in a voice equally as quiet.

Neji nodded and put a protective and reassuring arm around her, pulling her close to his side.

There was a sudden movement as the demons surged towards them, their gloved hands curled like claws, open mouthed, fangs exposed. Those burning red eyes were filled with their killing intent.

The night shattered as the last gunshot cut through the air.

The chiming of the grandfather clock rang across the empty hallway, the face hidden under a covering of blood.

Neji opened his eyes slowly. He felt so full of fatigue that he simply wanted to collapse and go to sleep. His eyes widened as he realised where he was. He was sat in an ornate dining chair, with wooden arms and a cream padded seat. He was in the drawing room, but before him laid an exquisitely covered table, an embroidered table cloth and shining silver cutlery covering it. His head jerked up as he heard a woman's voice.

"It's so easy to see you know." purred the majestically clad woman who sat on the other side of the room, looking at him with amusement.

"Beatrice?" breathed Neji.

The witch nodded, grinning.

"Yes, I can clearly see your pain and regrets. You can't hide anything from me. However, as I am such a kind and gracious person, I shall give you a pleasure to match your pain. Consider it a reward for being lucky and lasting until the end." Beatrice said.

Neji's eyes narrowed in confusion. The witch snapped her slender fingers, and at once, four glistening covered dishes appeared on the table in front of him. The silver lids hid whatever was inside.

"Now, food is a source of pleasure no? Then let this delicious banquet of your reward begin! Here now, I've prepared some very gourmet dishes for you!" Beatrice beamed, her cruel eyes watching Neji.

The witch snapped her fingers, and at Neji's sides appeared two goat-demons, their malevolent crimson eyes staring straight ahead devoid of emotion. Suddenly, they snapped to attention and one grabbed Neji's head with one hand and his shoulder with another, forcing him to stay in his seat. The other lifted the lid of the nearest dish. Inside stood a single wine glass filled to the brim with a deep red liquid.

"First, you shall have this delectable wine, distilled from the blood of you team-mate Lee, who your teacher always preferred over you!" Laughed the witch.

Neji's eyes widened even more and his struggled in vain as the demon not holding him down lifted the glass to his lips and poured the crimson liquid down Neji's throat. Neji coughed and gagged, but the demon held the glass until he had been forced to swallow it all. The demon now lifted the lid of the next dish.

"And for your starter, a fine salad containing the eyes of your comrade Shikamaru, who even without your ability never failed to spot the important points before you." Beatrice continued eyes full of savage glee.

Neji struggled even harder as the demon scooped up some of the green leaves and one of the repulsive looking dark eyeballs that lay on the plate, their pupils staring at him accusingly. He tried to yell as they were forced into his mouth and his jaws were held shut until he had not choice but to swallow or choke.

The demon lifted the cover of the next dish.

"For main course, do please enjoy this carefully grilled sea bream marinated in white wine sauce, covered with the face of your friend Tenten, who shunned you to fall in love with the enemy."

Neji kicked and flailed, but it was no good. He felt tears leaking out of his eyes as he looked at the steaming fish shaped object, with the skin of his closest friend stretched grotesquely over the top. The demon not restraining him tore off about a third of it and forced Neji to swallow it despite his fighting.

"And lastly, for desert I give you a selection of fine roasted apples, complete with the head of that cousin you despised so much!" declared Beatrice in her finale.

Neji gasped with horror as the lid was lifted. Hanabi's head sat in the centre of a ring of cooked apples, her eyes devoid of light or life. Suddenly however, those eyes lifted and looked right at him.

"Cousin…was I in the way…?" the head said quietly.

"What…?" Neji breathed.

"You hoped that your uncle would see your abilities over my sister's and make you the family head…didn't you?"

"No, no I…"

"But I was born and showed I was better than my sister…making me next in line is something should happen to her…I stopped your only chance of becoming family head…from you having your curse mark removed…"

"…"

"I'm sorry…for being born…" Hanabi said, looked down at the plate beneath her.

Suddenly, the girl's eyes snapped open and stared crazily at her cousin's, her lips twisting into a wide smile.

"So eat me already! Look, see I've become such a delicious desert for you!" She laughed hysterically.

The demon with free hands lifted Hanabi's head and tried to force it into Neji's mouth. Tears were coursing down the usual composed jounin's face in earnest now, as the pain of his crushed jaws and the pain of the whole scene filed him with terror and despair. Beatrice was there, laughing crazily in the background.

"Heeheehee! Now that fool Deidara surrendered, all I have to do is make you acknowledge me!" Laughed the witch.

"I…acknowledge you!" forced out Neji, trying to twist away from Hanabi's head.

"Kyahahaha! This is perfect! IT'S PERFECTO!"

"Say, this all looks yummy." Came a loud voice.

"Hm? Who was that? I know that voice!" Beatrice suddenly said, looking serious.

"Why don't you just slice up those cow tits of yours and make me a sandwich?" the voice declared sarcastically.

Suddenly, there was an explosion of golden butterflies. A very artistic explosion. Deidara stood in the centre of the room, his long blonde hair and robes devoid of the blood he had undoubtably spilt ealier. His eyes were narrowed in defiance.


	40. The Protégé

**Wow, 40 chapters?**

**Thanks to everyone who has kept reading these!**

**I do not own Umineko no Naku Koro Ni or Naruto, but I do hope to own a few more reviews! *hint***

**The scene between Beatrice and Beatrice is from the original plot of Umineko, as it's kind of vital for understanding some of the later story, so it isn't mine!**

Beatrice stared at the blonde shinobi, her usually perfect features twisted into a mixture of surprise and rage. Deidara was looked at her with a determined and stern expression, radiating his hatred for her as the golden butterflies circled him.

"There's no way! You're dead – you surrendered your soul and became my furniture!" Beatrice hissed.

Deidara didn't look at her, but instead regarded Hanabi's head, still held in the arms of the demons by Neji's mouth. Neji looked exhausted, a trickle of the blood-wine running from the corner of his mouth. His eyes were dull and dark.

"Hanabi, you're too young to give up and die yet. Can't you see what this witch has done to you?" Deidara asked.

Hanabi just looked at him silently.

"Dei…dara?" Neji croaked, looking up.

Deidara turned and stared at the witch, his arms crossed and a defiant grin on his face.

"I can't give up either. Now that I've seen Neji's perseverance, I've regained my will to fight, Beatrice! I refuse to surrender!" He yelled, fists clenched.

"Teehee, well said, Deidara. I like it…I accept your challenge!" Beatrice snarled with a smirk, stepping towards the s-ranked criminal.

"Heh, I won't be so easily done in this time!" countered Deidara, also taking a step towards his opponent.

The golden butterflies encircled the pair of them, the glowing becoming a blinding white light that filled every space in the room, as the two enemies glared at each other.

Lady Bernkastel looked up, the teacup in her pale slender fingers. Once again she sat in the circular tower room, that same clinically sterile white light filtering through the tall windows. She set the cup down on the dark-wooded table that sat on the checker-board patterned floor, and look to her side.

There was a sudden golden glow, and Beatrice the Endless Witch appeared in the chair by Lady Bernkastel's side, smirking slightly as she twirled her long golden pipe around her slender fingers.

"Tell me, Lady Bernkastel, are you enjoying the games so far?" Beatrice asked.

"Such blatantly one-sided games are so tedious…" The violet haired witch replied, looking away disdainfully.

"Hehehe, are you saying that you have no chance of winning, Bernkastel?" Beatrice asked, her smile widening a little.

"What are you talking about?" Bernkastel quickly enquired.

"Do not try to lie to me," Beatrice said casually, "I know now that you are no mere observer."

"And what if I have decided to join this game?"

"Oh to think the legendary Lady Bernkastel is fighting against me! Why, I am truly honoured!"

The lilac witch in question closed her eyes and looked away with a slight sigh. Suddenly, she looked up to see someone else had joined their conversation. Lady Lambdadelta was watching the pair of them, resting her chin on one black-gloved hand, and her elbows on her crossed legs. She giggled her pale blonde hair ruffling around her face as she did so.

"Looks like I've found you all!" She exclaimed, beaming, but with cold eyes.

"Lambda, you've also joined this game?" asked Bernkastel, her blank expression not changing for even a moment.

"Don't shorten my name like that!" snapped Lambdadelta, her face irritated.

"Upon hearing that you were playing against me, Lady Lambdadelta decided she would switch allegiances, and is now betting against you loosing rather than I." Beatrice explained, motioning towards the pink-clad witch who was pouting at Lady Bernkastel.

"You still have a grudge against me, I see…" Bernkastel sighed.

"Of course! Anyone who is your opponent is my ally, Bern!" laughed Lambdadelta.

"I see…but now I've been exposed, I'll be going all out. Don't expect this to be as easy from now on, Beatrice." Bernkastel said emotionlessly, looking straight ahead, away from her companions.

"In which case," Beatrice grinned, "I'll see you in the next game!"

A small girl in a long floor-length pale pink gown stood at the foot of a flight of stairs, staring at a mess of china on the floor before her. Her hair was a rich dark blonde and held up in an ornate up do with a couple of ornamental roses. She was about eight years old, and the clothes she was wearing were extremely old fashioned.

The little girl was crying, the pearly tears rolling down her pale cheeks, azure eyes fixed on the broken vase.

"I…I broke it…" She sniffed to her herself in between splutters.

At that moment, a shining golden butterfly fluttered past her line of sight. She looked up, moving her hands wet with tears from her face, and enthralled, stared at it as it moved around a corner of the hallway. From behind the corner, stepped a beautiful woman.

The newcomer was dress in a floor-length dark navy blue dress, which flared out from her hips. The neckline was edged with white frills and swept almost horizontally from one shoulder to another, exposing the perfect skin of her neck and shoulders. She looked like some sort of grand western queen. On her head sat a broad rimmed hat, topped with scarlet roses and more white frills. Her eyes were heavily lidded and she had long straight almost white lilac hair that flowed down her back.

"Beatrice!" Squeaked the girl.

"Princess…the master really like this vase didn't he?" asked Beatrice kindly, her blue eyes gentle.

"…What can I do…?" Whimpered the girl as fresh tears ran down her face.

"I can't fix the vase completely, but I might be able to do something to make the master not angry at you." Beatrice explained to the little girl.

"What do you mean?"

The woman bent down so that she was face to face with the girl.

"For magic to work, you have to believe in it. Without that, it can not exist." She said.

"Please, Beatrice – I believe in your magic! I really do!" insisted the girl, her eyes wide.

"Very well," Beatrice said, straightening up with a small smile before turning and looking at the broken fragments of vase that lay on the carpet. From the long draping ruffled sleeves of her dress she drew a small wooden object, a thin wand.

"Come, try and remember the form you used to have…" Beatrice said softly as light emanated from the wand's tip and engulfed the broken vase.

Once the light receded, the mended vase, pristine and in perfect condition, sat once more on top of the dresser.

"Beatrice, that's amazing! You fixed the vase with magic!" grinned the girl, her wide blue eyes full of admiration.

"I'm afraid it isn't that impressive. I merely revived the memory of the vase, before it was smashed. It won't last that long, but will serve its purpose." Beatrice replied.

"A…memory…?" Asked the girl, her face puzzled.

"Hey, come back! Stop!" shouted a shrill voice from up the hallway.

A maid was sprinting down the hall, her face covered in sweat and an exasperated look on her face. She was running after a small black cat, which was doing everything it could to get away from her.

The small animal leapt onto the chest of drawers on which the vase was standing and on to the floor before darting away into the shadows. The vase rocked as the cat bumped it slightly, tipped, and then fell onto the floor, shattering into many little pieces. The little girl gasped and took a step back.

"Oh, my…the cat has broken the Masters vase…oh, he'll be so angry with it!" The maid exclaimed before darting down the corridor to explain what had happened to the master.

Beatrice looked down at the little girl, her face impassive but not unkind.

"It's very easy to break something, you know, princess. However, it's almost impossible to put it completely back together. This is how magic works. Although…the one who aught me could use the endless magic, far superior in power, not just a temporary fix."

"Eternal?" The girl asked.

"Yes. It is an honour to be called an Endless Witch, a level that all witches aspire to meet." Beatrice explained, "An endless which has no concept of breaking and loss. They are freed from the pain caused by loss and death."

"An Endless…Witch…" The girl repeated.

"Beatrice, could I become an Endless Witch, and be happy forever?" She asked suddenly.

"You'd have to go through a lot of training before you can reach that level, young princess!" laughed Beatrice, patting the child's head affectionately.

The girl smiled, but turned to Beatrice as the witch started to walk away.

"I want to be a witch!" she said, "I want to be happy…Please teach me how to become a witch, Beatrice!"

"You really want to…?" Beatrice asked, turning to face her.

"…yes!" The girl insisted.

"Then…I will make you my protégé, princess." The witch said.

Beatrice smiled, a gentle benevolent smile as she looked at the girl before her, those pure blue eyes brimming with excitement, the innocent child's face radiating happiness and hope.


	41. The GameBoard Set

**Chapter forty-one!**

**Sorry I haven't uploaded these in ages, lots to do, especially concerning studying of exams…oh, warning for spoilers!**

**I do not own Naruto or Umineko no naku koro Ni.**

Some years before the Rokkenjima incident.

The sparsely furnished room was dimly lit, the single lamp struggling feebly to fill the room with light. It was an old, abandoned building in the darkest depths of amegakure, somewhere they would not be found.

The room was occupied by three people, Konan, Nagato and Yahiko. The blue-haired kunoichi clenched her fists, her face flushed with defiance as she regarded her comrades. Yahiko was standing between her and Nagato, baring the brunt of her cold eyes so full of pain.

"But Yahiko! Why can't I go in Nagato's place? He is already weak after the fighting yesterday!"

"Konan!" Replied Yahiko sternly, "You know you can't hold your own out there! I can't go with you because I have to remain here with the other members, so it's only logical that Nagato goes to complete the mission. Besides, you are not powerful enough to last very long on your own out there. You ought to stay here and just tend to the wounded whilst I and Nagato see to the combat. I'm sorry but-"

"Yahiko…" Konan said, her voice loosing some of its energy.

"I'm sorry, but I won't change my mind. If I can't protect you, Konan, I'm nothing." Yahiko said, more softly than before, his eyes purveying a silent apology.

Konan let her fists drop to her sides and turned, leaving the small space, heading for her own room. Her footsteps pattered along the bare concrete corridor until she reached the door to her room. She stepped inside, shutting the door behind her, and sat down on her bed. Konan's room was little more than two metres wide and three to four metres long, with a plain bed pushed up against the wall on one side. The single window was high up on the grey wall.

The kunoichi sighed, her eyes full of sadness. She supposed that this was the price of staying hidden from their enemies. Although Hanzō had proposed a meeting to discuss their group's peace related ideas, the three ring leaders Yahiko, Nagato and Konan suspected a trap, and tried to stay out of the powerful man's sight these days in case of attack.

"Yahiko and Nagato…you really think my abilities are that low…?" Konan said aloud to herself as she rested her head in her hands.

"I wish that they would have more confidence in me…that I could surpass them both." She continued bitterly.

Suddenly, she looked up and realised she was not alone. A petite figure stood before her, with wide blue eyes full of disdain.

"You…" Konan breathed.

In front of her stood a young girl, no more than thirteen years old, with a pale face and shockingly blue hair. The girl smiled slightly at her.

"I am you, silly, or did you forget?" The younger version of Konan said.

Konan stared at her.

"We swore long ago, that you would grow to change the world and make peace. Are you going to give up on that promise to yourself now? You coward, no, you're worse than a coward! Why don't you just roll over and die?" The young Konan jeered

"Even on hearing those words from my self, they still make me angry…" The older Konan said with a sigh, looking away.

"Turn that anger into magical power! Belive me when I say your wish will certainly come true!" The little girl siad, her eyes reflecting the meager light eerily, "Trust my magic. After all, belief is the basic of all magic."

"I…believe." Konan whispered softly. At that point in time she could think of little else to do.

"Very well, now listen up" The young Konan replied, her pale features twisted in a grin, "_My beloved hometown, the sweetfish river running through it.  
You, who seek the Golden Land, follow its path downstream and seek the key…"_

_

* * *

_

Konan sighed, rubbing her forehead as she awoke.

"That dream again..." She said to herself as she stood up from the old worn couch and blinked the last vestiges of sleep out of her eyes.

She tried to banish the memories from her mind, those times still were too painful to think about. So much had changed since then...Yahiko and Nagato weren't even the same people any more. It had been some time since their arrival on Rokkenjima Island, to search for the Bijuu that was supposedly hidden here, but since the first day she kept having that same dream, again and again.

She crossed to the other side of her designated bedroom, across the hall from Pein's. Her room was one of the larger bedrooms in the old mansion, with a comfortable double bed and wide windows keeping the room bright and airy.

She tried to remember why she had fallen asleep on the couch, but noticed the pile of documents she had been sorting. Paperwork like that, no matter how important it was, was enough to ease an already tired person into the arms of sleep.

Konan undid the lock on her door and stepped out into the corridor as she wrapped her Akatsuki cloak around her. She looked out of the window into the unkempt garden beyond. Judging by the height of the sun, it must have been mid-morning.

* * *

Tenten smiled as she and the rest of their party of people saw the island loom into sight ahead. It had been so long since she had seen the place; it seemed almost strange to be returning there. Even so, she did feel slightly apprehensive. After all, this was the place that, all those years ago, she had met the witch.

She looked down at the shifting sea beneath her feet, wondering whether she ought to be feeling guilty for breaking that mirror. She shook her head dismissively. That had been a while ago, and anyway, nothing had happened since then out of the ordinary anyway. That old mirror probably didn't mean anything at all.

With a sigh, she looked around at the rest of her team-mates. She and Kiba had met them at the half-way point between Rokkenjima Island and the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

Kakashi and Shikamaru were deep in conversation, discussing the mission and how they would best infiltrate wherever it was that the Akatsuki had based themselves this time. Neji and Hinata were walking in silence with Hanabi.

You could almost see the tension between them. Neji had not been overly pleased with Hinata and Hanabi's father's decision to send the younger girl on the mission with them to enhance her skills. In most of their opinions, it was far too dangerous.

Kiba and Akumaru were walking along at their usual lazy pace, arguing with Lee about close range combat. Well, Akumaru wasn't really arguing, just barking in agreement to whatever Kiba said.

Tenten looked ahead, back at the island that was getting ever-closer. They had all decided to camp at the cave in which Tenten and Kiba had stayed whilst they were gathering information on their enemies, since it had not yet been found.

The Akatsuki themselves were staying at the abandoned old mansion. Tenten almost felt jealous; beds would be a welcome respite after days of sleeping on the hard stone floor. Tenten's face lit up a little bit as she remembered that this might mean she would be able to meat up with Deidara again while she was here. She missed him so much, and those feelings made her feel terrible, as if she was betraying her comrades for being in love with the dangerous criminal.

Lee looked up at Hanabi and her sister and cousin. Tenten could see that he wanted to lift the mood somehow.

"You know, this mission won't succeed unless we all think positive! Neji, you should try and act a little happier." The shinobi in green said with a white-toothed grin.

"Hey, I witch I know said something about happiness once!" Hanabi said brightly.

Neji looked at her sternly, but remained silent. Tenten stiffened. A witch? No, that was impossible. It was probably just the over-active imagination of the little girl going overtime.

"She said "You will never find happiness unless everyone believes!"" Hanabi continued.

"A witch, how ridiculous." Neji commented flatly.

"Well...they say that magic lies in the power of belief." Said Kiba.

Tenten looked at him curiously. He too looked tense. The mention of a 'witch' had set all of her nerves on edge. However, they shared a glance and decided between them that there was no way they could be thinking of the same person as Hanabi. The girl must be making it up.

"Well, if it's happiness you want then I'll believe." Kakashi said kindly.

"Sounds good. There should be more happiness in this war-torn world." Agreed Kiba, covering over his previous anxiety, "we should try and be happy together while we can."

* * *

The cruel laughter rand out clearly through the cylindrical room. Beatrice's shoulders shook as her cackles subsided. One again, she was seated into one of those ornate chairs, directly opposite Deidara, who sat in an identical chair on the other side of the room.

That same sterile white light filtered through the high windows, throwing Deidara's features into sharp relief as he clenched his teeth in anger.

"Like I'd let them! Ahahahahahahaha!"

"Don't pop up just like that!" He snarled, a vein ticking in his forehead.

"Now, I've prepared a new game of us." The witch said, before standing up, the light reflecting off her wide eyes. "Come wind and rain, surround Rokkenjima Island! Cut this place off from the rest of the world; throw Rokkenjima into the spirit realm!"


	42. The Butler Appears

**Introducing: Ronove the butler demon for chapter forty-two!**

**I decided that I'd summarise and then skip to Hanabi and the rose part because what happens before when the Konoha group meet the Akatsuki is basically the same as in the other games.**

**I do not own Naruto or Umineko no Naku Koro Ni.**

Hinata looked meekly up at the faces around her, still not quite believing what had just happened to their group. The Konoha nin had all begun to set up camp for the night in the small cave that Tenten Kiba had been staying in during their time on the island. It had been tight, but everyone had just about fitted into the small space. Hinata looked at the floor, a stray lock of dark hair falling over her face as she remembered.

There had been a sudden commotion from Lee and Kiba. The clanging sound of weapons being quickly brought to arms. A robed Akatsuki member with large green growths framing his black and white face had arisen out of the ground at the mouth of the cave, giving them all the shock of their lives. The Akatsuki had found them in next to no time, and they were trapped in a cave. However, rather than kill them right then and there with their techniques, something strange happened.

Another member of the Akatsuki had appeared behind the first one. This one was shorter, but had an air of command that plainly told everyone he was the leader. Those haunting grey eyes with the black rings were still burned into Hinata's memory as she shuddered.

This newcomer had then proceed to explain that none of them had any chakra powers remaining whatsoever. He had admitted that even he had lost his abilities for nin and gen-jutsu, saying that something or other on the island had drained every last bit of chakra out of every one of them.

At that point, Hinata had tried to activate her gentle fist technique, just to see if it would work. Nothing had happened at all, except for a cold sweat that had broken out on her forehead with the effort.

And now she looked up again at the people around her, both Akatsuki and Konoha, all sitting in silence. The Leader whose name had turned out to be Pein, had suggested that Akatsuki and Konoha should combine forces in a temporary truce in order to work together to find a way to regain their chakra abilities.

After some careful consideration, Kakshi who was acting as squad leader reluctantly agreed, explaining to the others that there was no other possible means of action at that point.

At that moment, Hinata's attention had swayed to regard Tenten. She could have sworn she had seen the kunoichi smile for the briefest of moments.

So there they were; sitting together in the old drawing room of that great mansion that stood in the centre of the island. Hinata regarded the worn and patched curtains, the holes in the moth-eaten rug and the threadbare areas of the sofa she was sitting on. As there were many empty bedrooms in this building, both Kakashi and Pein had decided that it would be best if they all stayed in the old house together, partly so they could each keep tabs on the other as the trust between the two parties was so shaky, and partly because there wasn't really anywhere else to stay on the island. In this respect, Hinata felt somewhat relived. She had been dreading having to sleep in a cave.

She then moved to look out of the window. The typhoon must have been close now, and wished that Hanabi hadn't run off on her own. Her little sister had been so excited by that strange epitaph in the hallway that she had started babbling about witches and magic to them all. At this point, Neji had lost his temper and shouted at her to grow up and act her age.

Hinata had wanted to intervene, but was unable to say anything before her sister had burst into tears and sprinted away down the front steps and into the rose garden. Lee had proposed that he should go after her, but since Kakshi had already gone ahead with Pein to the drawing room, Neji had taken charge and said that Hanabi should stay put where she was in the garden until she apologized for her ridiculous actions.

Hinata now watched as condensation began to form over the window to her side with the combined breaths of the sixteen occupants of the room. Through the foggy glass she could just see the first drops of rain hitting the cracked pavement outside. She hoped that her sister was alright.

The rain was falling heavier now; huge droplets that soaked Hanabi to the bone in minutes. The wind had also picked up, ruffling the hair that hadn't stuck to the young girl's face with the rain. However, she was not crying any more like she had been when she fled the great house after Neji's outburst.

Hanabi's face was alight with wonder and excitement as she looked up at the beautiful woman before her.

Beatrice smiled graciously at Hanabi, and held out one of her perfectly formed slender hands. Her eyes shone dark blue, reflecting a light that wasn't there.

"Come now, Hanabi, you look so wet and cold." She said kindly.

All of a sudden, a mass of golden butterflies swarmed over her outstretched fingers. As they flew, the golden glow they emitted illuminated the rain around them and made a dazzling light show, the eerie noise accompanying the sight. When they dissipated and the darkness of the evening and rain returned, a long ornate umbrella was clasped firmly in the witch's hand.

"Beatrice, that's amazing! I wish I could do that!" Hanabi squealed, her eyes shining with adoration and gratitude as she took the white umbrella and opened it. Immediately she was sheltered from the relentless rain.

"I want to become I witch like you as soon as I can!" The young kunoichi continued enthusiastically.

"I'm sure you cane do it." Beatrice replied, regarding the girl thoughtfully.

She then reached behind her back and withdrew a small, pale envelope with a golden insignia decorating it. She held it out to Hanabi who looked at it with the wide eyes of a curious child.

"When I was nearly your age, I wished for the same thing and that wish was granted." The witch continued, "Now go. Take this letter but do not read it yet. Read it aloud when all of the adults are gathered together, and make sue they hear ever single word."

Hanabi nodded, her face shining with happiness.

"I will, I promise. Thank you, Beatrice!" She said quickly before she hurried off towards the main house, a bright smile on her face.

Beatrice watched the young girl disappear into the rain and then looked up into the dark and foreboding sky as the first strike of lightening illuminated it. The rain increased its attack, the wind following suit as the storm strengthened.

"And now, Madara…I've returned to play this game once again. Do you have enough pieces at your disposal to triumph against me?"

Madara stared out of the tall window that stood at the far wall of the study. It was thrown open, and the wooden frames were buffeted this way and that by the storm, the rain hurling itself inside the room after it. He wore his mask, and his long Akatsuki robes billowed out behind him as the wind surged past into the study.

"Of course I have, Beatrice!" He yelled his voice hoarse against the tumult of the storm.

"I am more than prepared, and my defences are more than sufficient, so take this as a sign of the deal; let it begin!"

At that moment, Madara lifted his hand and removed the Akatsuki ring that he wore on his thumb. The small object glinted as another stroke of lightening flashed across the sky, and he tossed it high up into the air, and it disappeared from sight.

Beatrice looked up, watching the descent of the small ring as it sailed through the dark sky, heading towards her. Once more, she extended her hand and held it out to catch the flying object.

Suddenly, there was a dull golden glow in front of her. A man appeared, and there came the dull sound of the metal ring as he caught it deftly between his thumb and fore-finger.

"Ronove…it's you." Beatrice said quietly to the man before her.

He turned to face her, a slight smile on his lips that did not reach his cold eyes. He was dressed in a black uniform with a pure white shirt. His long black jacket was edged with gold and he wore white butler's gloves on his hands. His shoulder-length dark brown hair blew slightly in the wind as his smile creased his thin moustache.

"It has been quite a long time since I last spoke with you, milady."


	43. The Lady of the Forest

**Chapter forty-three!**

**Gosh it's been a while since I updated…*shifty eyes*…**

**I do not own Umineko no Naku Koro Ni or Naruto!**

Deidara sat in the cushioned armchair, staring at the polished checker-board flooring of the cylindrical tower room, refusing to look at Beatrice as he glowered at his reflection. The witch in question sat across the room from him in another of the cushioned chairs as the unforgiving white sterile light filtered through the tall arched windows onto them.

"Allow me to introduce Ronove, a demon who happens to be the twenty-seventh highest ranked demon in hell." Beatrice explained, gesturing lazily at the tall man by her side.

Ronove dipped into a short bow, a small smile on his lips.

"I serve as Beatrice's head furniture, pleased to make your acquaintance." He said.

"He is a very useful man to have around I must say, but he can be irritating with his disrespectful language at times. It is quite tedious when he forgets to respect his mistress." The witch went on to say, looking up at her servant with a smile that mirrored his.

Ronove placed his gloved hand in front of his mouth to stifle a short laugh.

"Gah…so first there are goat-headed monsters and bare-legged girls appearing all over the place, and now a butler demon, un? This is getting ridiculous…" Deidara sighed scowling.

Beatrice's shoulders shivered as she laughed lightly.

"…Anyone has the right to discover it. If you can reveal that place in which the gold is hidden, I will return everything. So tonight, please enjoy your battle of wits with my old master. I sincerely pray that this evening well turn out both intellectual and elegant, from the Golden Witch, Beatrice."

Hanabi closed her eyes as she sat back down at her chair, placing the letter she had just been reading neatly on the surface of the table in front of her. All of the Konoha group and Akatsuki were currently seated around the huge dining table, as the room in question had sort of become their unofficial conference room.

"What rubbish is this?" scoffed Kakuzu, dismissing the letter with a snort.

"I agree with you for once, we checked almost all over this island before we settled here. The stupid little girl must have written this as a joke!" laughed Hidan, reclining in his chair and placing his feet on the table.

"Calm down, both of you," Konan said.

Immediately, both Kakuzu and Hidan looked away irritably, but heeded her words and became silent.

"If we interpret this literally, it's a test. To me, it sounds like this letter is from this 'master' of whom she speaks, and the one who completes this riddle first will gain the gold mentioned in the letter. If you look even closer, that could be a metaphor for the Bijuu we came here searching for, as power and riches are very similar concepts. Therefore, it would be safe to assume that this letter suggests that whoever solves the puzzle, will receive either immense power or immense riches."

"See! My magic worked!" giggled a high voice that Konan knew only too well right by her ear. She turned, eyes wide, but no-one was there.

"What are you doing, Konan?" asked Pein curiously.

"Nothing…" replied the blue-haired kunoichi, her face returning to its usual impassive expression once more.

"And so…just imagine how much all that gold would be worth…" Murmured Kakuzu to himself.

"How ridiculous." Sasori intoned, his lazy brown eyes closing for a moment, "Even if we did find a Bijuu here, the organization as a whole would control t, or Pein would. Either way, the power would never be granted to one person alone."

"And if you think we're going to let you Akatsuki get your hands on a Bijuu in the first place…" Lee began.

Konan sighed.

"However, if you think logically, we have reason to believe that this 'master' must be an extremely skilled shinobi if he has the courage to threaten all of us, given how strong we ware as a group. Therefore, we can conclude that he would be well within his limits to make sure only one of us inherits this prize, even if the others protest." She said.

"That is if you trust what that letter says…" Itachi said quietly, his red eyes fixed on the letter.

"Well, what if we go and search the rose garden to begin with? After all, whoever gave Hanabi this letter must surely be out there still." Neji said.

"I agree" Kakashi said, nodding, "I will take Tenten, Neji and Lee with me to the rose garden and split up to search for whoever the author of this letter may be. The rest of you stay put here while we're gone."

He and the others he had mentions rose from their seats.

"If that is indeed your plan of action, then I will accompany you with Konan, Kakuzu, Kisame, Tobi and Zetsu. We can't leave you Konoha ninja out there on your own…just in case." Pein said calmly.

"Very well, do as you wish. But I warn you, at the slightest sign of you breaking our truce, we will attack with full force." Kakashi replied, eyes narrowed.

"As you wish." Pein said.

The ten shinobi, both Akatsuki and Konoha left the dining room, their footsteps gradually becoming fainter as they walked further away. There was a distant 'clunk' as the huge main double doors were opened and the group went outside.

After a little while, Hinata turned to her sister inquisitively.

"Hanabi, who actually did give you that letter?" She asked kindly.

"I told you before, Beatrice did!" Hanabi insisted, beaming, "She gave me the letter and told me to read it to you all when we were all together! She also used her magic to create an umbrella for me because of the rain. She's an amazing witch who can do anything at all with her magic!" The young girl said happily.

"Kid, can you start making some freakin' sense already?" growled Hidan, thoroughly bored with the whole affair.

* * *

Sasori stared impassively at the milling mass of dark clouds that covered the sky. The moon and stars of that night were completely hidden in its thick, foggy cover as the rain hurled itself against the old walls of the great house, egged on by the furious wind.

"In the end, that little girl didn't give us any worthwhile information…" He said in that smooth flawless voice.

"But we can't ignore that fact that there might still be a nineteenth person on this island." Kakashi said.

The group had reassembled a while later back in the dining room, the rain and wind having become too fierce outside to be able to search properly.

"By the way, where are Hanabi, Hinata, Lee and your blonde member…Deidara?" Shikamaru asked.

"Don't worry," Kiba explained, "Hanabi looked as if she was going to fall asleep so the four of them left for the smaller guest house. Deidara went because the others refused."

Hidan looked uncomfortable as Kakuzu scowled at him.

* * *

"So basically, you reckon this 'master' whoever he is used Beatrice's name in order to unsettle us all?" Deidara asked as he reclined lazily into a comfortable old sofa.

The guest house was a lot smaller than the main mansion, consisting of only a couple of bedrooms and bathrooms and a small kitchen, but it was definitly cosier.

"Well…maybe…" Hinata said quietly, sitting next to her sister who was curled up on another sofa, sleeping peacefully as she breathed slowly in and out.

"Or maybe a woman called Beatrice really did give her this letter…" She continued, in an even quieter voice.

"Huh? Are you saying there's an unknown nineteenth person on this island, hmm?" Deidara asked.

"Well, before we came to the island, we did some research, and there's a legend of a woman called Beatrice who lives in a secret place on the island…"

"Oh really, un? Where is this?"

"Somewhere in the forest supposedly…"

Deidara sighed, his head aching. None of this made any sense! He sighed, wishing that he could use his chakra to create his art to pass the time as the rain pelted the windows and the storm clouds continued to gather.


	44. Revelations

**Chapter forty-four.**

**I do not own Naruto or Umineko no Naku Koro Ni. **

Pein looked down at the envelope that Hanabi had left in the dining room on his request before she left with the three others. It was such an innocent looking object, but its contents were anything but that.

The group had been arguing about its meaning for a couple of hours now, so the sky was completely black making even the swirling storm clouds invisible in the darkness. The rain hammered against the windows and one could see the merciless wind trashing the tops of the trees in the light of the lamps outside in the garden.

"If you look at this letter logically, it suggests that this 'master' or 'Beatrice' will try and make us fight over this prize of gold or power of which they speak." Shikamaru said, his voice still sounding bored despite the circumstances.

"How so?" asked Itachi.

"Well, from the looks of this letter, the witch is willing to give to anyone who solves the epitaph the power and the treasure. Another way of looking at it is to say that she won't give it to those of us who are unable to solve the riddle. Therefore, isn't it likely they're hoping that the promise of this prize will be enough for us to want to out-compete one-another in order to receive it?" Shikamaru explained.

"But this is assuming she actually has, in her possession, this Bijuu or gold or whatever it is." Kakuzu said.

"That does seem unlikely…" Kisame added.

Kakashi turned away from the window that he had been staring out of, deep in thought, for the past few minutes. His face was stern and his brows knitted in concentration.

"Not is you look at this from 'Beatrice's' point of view." He began.

The others looked at him expectantly for him to continue.

"Think about it, Beatrice really can't expect us to just accept that she has this massive wealth of power or gold that she will just hand over to us. Even so, she seems very insistent in this latter that we must at least try to solve this riddle of hers. This begs the question, what else may she have in her possession to make us willing to fight with each other, our friends, in order to solve a puzzle like this?"

"Our chakra abilities…" breathed Shikamaru, realisation dawning on his face.

"Precisely. But that isn't all." Kakashi said.

"What else could there be? She has us virtually powerless!" Hidan snarled, crashing his fist onto the table in frustration.

"Think about the letter. If you read between the lines, you can tell that 'Beatrice' seems to be taking us likely, suggesting that we could never solve the riddle. However, even if there is only the slimmest of chances, there remains the possibility that we can do it. As a result, we can also conclude that the winner will also regain their powers if they complete the riddle."

"But why? Why not just take the gold or the Bijuu and leave, rather than take the time to alert us with this letter?" asked Kisame.

"There are two possibilities." Pein said, his deep voice making several people jump.

"Firstly, the writer may actually be a powerful shinobi from another land other than Konoha who has created a jutsu to remove our power from us. The whole point of the letter as a result would be to make us fight and kill each other for our power, thus taking out both Akatsuki and many formidable Konoha shinobi."

"That does seem logical…" Sasori said quietly.

"It could also be that our enemy here has only written this letter in arrogance. They either have the gold, or our chakra powers, and since they are at an overwhelming advantage through this, they have taken a risk to show off their superiority. Either way we look at it, our options are restricted, whoever this 'Beatrice' is."

"You see, this is our chance to finally surpass Nagato and show him our power!" hissed a voice in Konan's ear.

The blue haired kunoichi looked around sharply, thinking that, for a moment, she had seen the wispy outline of her younger self once more. However, whatever had spoken had vanished, and no-one else seemed to have noticed.

* * *

Deidara smirked, leaning back in his cushioned chair in the tower room as that sterile white light made his features stand out in sharp relief. Ronove was still standing by Beatrice who was looking intensely at Deidara, mirroring his smile.

"So, in this game, Beatrice could be an enemy shinobi, or a resident of the island, living in the forest." Deidara said, thinking carefully over the events he had just seen unfolding and what Pein had said.

"Therefore, I can cut right through the notion that the crimes were committed by one of the eighteen Konoha and Akatsuki that already are on the island, hmm?" He continued.

Ronove smiled as he poured tea from the teapot in his hand into Beatrice's cup, his small eyes sparkling.

"A good argument" He said, "I can see you've improved from the last games. Instead of scrabbling about with no bearing, you've actually constructed a counter-attack."

"Thanks…I guess." Deidara said, unsure of whether this was a compliment or not given the circumstances.

"You seem to have forgotten," Said the witch with a smile, "that all I need to do is to say that there are no more than eighteen people on the island in red and your argument crumbles."

"Then try it. Use that treasured red sword of yours, un! Do that and you might be able to make me surrender!" Deidara grinned, feeling more and more confident.

"I see that the red truth rule that had you so disorientated before no longer scares you, Deidara?" Ronove said, amused.

"Repeat this in red! There are no more than eighteen people on Rokkenjima Island! If you can say that, I'll have to suspect one of the people from Akatsuki or Konoha that I know, hmm? But if you DO say it, you'll be admitting that the culprit was one of the eighteen, and therefore not a witch!"

"To think you can be so desperate and yet so difficult…" Beatrice growled.

"Say it!" Deidara yelled.

"…I refuse." Beatrice said, after a while.

"I won't tell you why, although I have my reasons…" She continued.

"As I thought." Deidara said with a sigh, "The culprit is not one of the eighteen people that I know, but they are not a witch either! The culprit can be an unknown, a person 'X' or any number of people! From now on, I can explain these crimes with however many people I like."

"I commend you for your proficiency," Beatrice said, a small smile touching her own lips, "But I will now show to you the reason for my refusing your demand."

"Then show me, un!"

* * *

The group of Konoha and Akatsuki still remained around the dining table, having continued with their discussion further, mostly arguing about what course of action to take next.

Of course, many of the attendants were still undecided on whether the mythical 'Beatrice' even existed, most of them believing it to be someone assuming the witch's name as a disguise from who they really were.

Kakashi sighed and sat back in his dining chair. His eyes meandered over to Neji, and his eyes took on a look of concern.

"Neji…you've been quiet for a very long time…is something the matter?" He asked.

"Sorry…" Neji said, his voice uncharacteristically shaky.

"Whatever for?" Kakashi asked as all eyes turned to the Hyuuga.

"She…can't be here…" Neji continued.

"What are you talking about?" Hidan growled impatiently.

"Beatrice is dead…I killed her." Neji said as his looked up, wide eyed.


End file.
